"Two Americans face federal arraignment next week in Maine on charges that they were part of a smuggling ring that brought narwhal tusks into the United States from Canada for illegal sale."

"Selling narwhal tusks is legal in Canada, where the Inuits hunt them for subsistence, but it is not allowed in the United States.

Known as 'unicorns of the sea,' narwhals are medium-sized whales that can grow up to 16 feet long and weigh as much as 3,500 pounds (1,600 kilograms).

They are native to the Arctic Ocean, and the males have a single, spiral tusk that can grow up to 9 feet."

Jason McLure reports for Reuters January 7, 2013. [2]