Higher Classification: > Kingdom Animalia > Subkingdom Eumetazoa > Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrata > Infraphylum Gnathostomata > Megaclass Tetrapoda > Class Mammalia > Subclass Theria > Order Cetartiodactyla > Suborder Cetancodonta > Infraorder Cetacea > Superfamily Odontoceti > Family Monodontidae > Genus Monodon

Monodon monoceros Linnaeus, 1758

Rank: Species
Taxon Status: accepted

Relationships towards this taxon

Genus group names

*Monodon*	Linnaeus, 1758	accepted genus name

Vernaculars (+) (-)

Bulgarian: nаrvаl; Нарвал sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Chukot: kaipuuliak

Czech: narval; narval jednorohý

Danish: narhval

Dutch: eenhornvis; narwal

English: hog; horned whale; narwhal; sea canary; sea unicorn; unicorne sources: van der Land, J. (ed). (2008). UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms (URMO).

French: licorne de mer; narval

German: Narwal

Greek: Νάρβαλ sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Icelandic: illhval; nahveli; narhvalur; rödkamm

Inuktitut: Adlungwak; killalugaq; tugalik (W. Greenland)

Italian: narvalo sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Japanese: ikkuka; itsu kaku

Kalaallisut: kelelluak-tuak; kelleluak-kakortok; killalugaq; qernertaq; rusaluvak-kernartak; tauvar; tugalik

Lithuanian: narvalas sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Norwegian: lighval; narhval

Norwegian Bokmål: narhval sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Norwegian Nynorsk: narkval sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Polish: narwal sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Portuguese: narval

Russian: edinorog; edinozub; jedinorogh morskoi; narval; rogozub; нарвал-единорог sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Slovenian: narval sources: Davorin Tome

Spanish, Castillian: narval

Swedish: enhornad hortand; narval sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Turkish: deniz gerdani; denizgerdani; narval sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Ukrainian: Нарвал; одноріг sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Welsh: morfil uncorn

Literature

original description	Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. [The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species, with characters, differences, synonyms, places.]. Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. 1(10) [iii], 824 p.
basis of record	van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 375-376
additional source	Mead, J. G.; Brownell, R. L. Jr. (2005). Cetacea. In Wilson, D.E. & D.M. Reeder (eds). Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. 723--743.
additional source	Reeves, R. R. and S. Tracey. (1980). Monodon monoceros. Mammalian Species 127:1--7.
additional source	Perrin, W.F.; Würsig, B.; Thewissen, J.G.M. (2009). Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Second edition. Academic Press: London. ISBN 978-0-12-373553-9. xxix, 1316 pp.
additional source	IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
additional source	Jefferson, T. A., M. A. Webber and R. L. Pitman. (2008). Marine mammals of the world. Academic Press, Amsterdam.
additional source	Hershkovitz, P. (1966). Catalog of Living Whales. Bulletin of the United States National Museum. (246): 1-259.
additional source	Rice, D. W. (1998). Marine mammals of the world. Systematics and distribution. Society for Marine Mammalogy Special Publication. 4.
ecology source	Looby, A.; Erbe, C.; Bravo, S.; Cox, K.; Davies, H. L.; Di Iorio, L.; Jézéquel, Y.; Juanes, F.; Martin, C. W.; Mooney, T. A.; Radford, C.; Reynolds, L. K.; Rice, A. N.; Riera, A.; Rountree, R.; Spriel, B.; Stanley, J.; Vela, S.; Parsons, M. J. G. (2023). Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. Scientific Data. 10(1).

Genbank

Citation

Fordyce, E.; Perrin, W.F. (2025). World Cetacea Database. Monodon monoceros Linnaeus, 1758. Via: Costello, M.J.; Bouchet, P.; Boxshall, G.; Arvantidis, C.; Appeltans, W. (2011) European Register of Marine Species, Accessed through PESI at http://www.eu-nomen.eu/portal/taxon.php?GUID=urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:137116