‘Unicorns of the sea’ gliding into Putnam Museum

The narwhals are coming. The narwhals are coming.

Beginning Saturday, Feb. 4, the story of those fascinating animals and perhaps the ocean’s most popular sea creature will be on display at the Putnam Museum and Science Center. 

The wildly popular Smithsonian traveling exhibition – “Narwhals: Revealing an Arctic Legend” – will be featured at the museum at 1717 W 12th St., Davenport through April 30.

“We are thrilled to host this exhibition at our museum,” Chris Chandler, the Putnam’s curator of natural science, said in a news release. “Narwhals are fascinating animals in so many ways. This exhibition will definitely serve to enhance the Putnam’s ongoing message of environmental  stewardship.” 

These tusked whales have come a long way since the 1500s when sailors saw them as angry sea monsters, the Smithsonian says. These days, these “unicorns of the sea” are a much loved pop culture icon, appearing on hats, clothing and posters. Prominently featured are narwhals and their single unique spiral tusk, which helped inspire legends in Inuit and European societies “and fascinated people across cultures for centuries.”

The traveling exhibit’s focus, organizers say, is on the “sterious animal and its changing ecosystem.”  

The Arctic Legend project was developed by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and its Arctic Studies Center and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES).

It explores interdisciplinary research conducted about the narwhal by Smithsonian scientists, in collaboration with Arctic researchers and members of Inuit communities, about the narwhal in their rapidly changing Arctic environment. 

The exhibit shares firsthand accounts from these scientists and Inuit  community members to reveal how traditional knowledge and experience, coupled with scientific research, heighten the understanding of narwhals and the changing global climate. 

“The narwhal gives us unique insight into the changing arctic and inspires us to preserve and protect its environment, cultures, and creatures,” said William Fitzhugh, curator of the exhibition and director of the Arctic Studies Center. 

Featuring an 18-foot, life-size model of a male narwhal, the exhibition examines the unicorn of the sea. Visitors will learn what the narwhal tusk is used for, test their tooth knowledge, examine a cast of a skull from a prehistoric narwhal relative, and compare the different ways that narwhals and their whale relatives have adapted to the Arctic environment. 

Panoramic images of landscapes and a soundscape of narwhal vocalizations, ice and water flows and other Arctic wildlife will immerse visitors in the Arctic environment of the narwhal. The exhibition highlights how the narwhal and its tusk have inspired medieval European unicorn imagery and legend. Visitors can read the Inuit legend of the narwhal, illustrated by artwork from Inuit community members. 

Audiences will learn what the Inuit have learned and how environmental changes are affecting the way of life for both narwhal and Inuit.  

“The Putnam Museum and Science Center is honored to host this important exhibition, created by our partners at the Smithsonian Institution,” shares Rachael Mullins, president and CEO of the Putnam. “This celebration of these magical creatures and the stewardship of the Inuit people advances our mission to ‘inspire our diverse community  to learn about and care for our world and all its people’.” 

Exhibit admission is included in the price of general admission — $9 for adults, $8 for youth (ages 3-18), seniors, college students and military. Through the Putnam’s Museums for All program, admission is $1 per person for households with the presentation of an EBT card. Admission is free for members. Find more information here. For groups, or to plan your visit, call 563-324-1933.

Get the free QCBJ email newsletter

Stay up-to-date with the people, companies and issues that impact business in the  Quad Cities area.