{"id":10559,"date":"2026-02-16T13:28:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T04:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arc.hokudai.ac.jp\/?p=10559"},"modified":"2026-02-16T13:28:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T04:28:27","slug":"wisdom-tooth-of-the-narwhal-and-other-secrets-of-the-skull-revealed-by-ct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arc.hokudai.ac.jp\/en\/wisdom-tooth-of-the-narwhal-and-other-secrets-of-the-skull-revealed-by-ct\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWisdom\u201d tooth of the narwhal and other secrets of the skull revealed by CT"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

In 2025, after a two-year journey from Greenland to Japan, the full skeleton of an endemic Arctic whale, the narwhal (Monodon monoceros), measuring ~5.5 meters in length, was delivered to the Hokkaido University Museum in Sapporo. Currently, the Arctic Research Center is preparing the skeleton for an exhibition within the ArCS-3 project.<\/span><\/p>\n

On February 12, 2026, for research and exhibition purposes, the tusk, skull, and lower jaw (i.e., mandible) of the narwhal were imaged with Computed Tomography (CT). This work is a collaboration between Dr.<\/span>Evgeny Podolskiy (Arctic Research Center, Hokkaido University, Japan), Dr. Genya Shimbo (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Japan), and Dr. Sung-Min Park (College of Dentistry, Dankook University, Republic of Korea).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The CT data were collected at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, using a multi-slice CT system (Toshiba, Prime Aquilion). The preliminary digital three-dimensional models were created from these CT images and are shown here. The data reveal fine details of the head, including an impacted tusk (~20 cm long), a socket of the main tusk, an embedded vestigial tooth (~4.5 cm), an asymmetrical skull structure, and a hollow, spiraling tusk structure with annual layers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>For further details about this ongoing work or permission to use images, contact Dr. Podolskiy (e.podolskiy@arc.hokudai.ac.jp<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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