Some species of whales were probably destroyed by medieval Europeans – study
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Medieval Europeans may have been involved in the disappearance of the smooth and gray whale species from the northeastern Atlantic waters. This is evidenced by the data of a study published in the Royal Society Open Science, writes The New York Times. Zooarchaeologist from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the author of the study Juri van den Hurk, together with his colleagues, examined 719 pieces of whale bones. They were collected on archaeological excavations from Norway to Portugal. “These whale bones are semi-regularly found in archaeological digs, but they’re often very fragmented. It’s actually quite difficult to identify these whale bones to the species level, even if the bones are truly complete,” says Dr. Gurk. Photo: Royal Society Open Science 2023 Scientists have discovered a disproportionate number of smooth and gray whale bones at archaeological sites. They tentatively determined that 334 bones belonged to smooth whales and 110 bones belonged to gray whales. Smooth and gray whales have long been prized by hunters because they are more docile than other species. The varying number of smooth and gray whale bones indicates that ancient Europeans sought these species. The bones of whales contain the protein collagen, but its chemical composition differs among different species. “This can give us a lot of information about what kind of species these bones really are,” the scientist noted. Researchers suggest that centuries of hunting of gray and smooth whales contributed to the eventual decline of their population in the region. But the threat to North Atlantic right whales remains: this species is currently on the verge of extinction. There are only 300 individuals left in the whole world. Scientists are convinced that determining the water location of their populations will be able to preserve living animals. Read also: In China, the remains of a tapir and a panda were found, which were sacrificed 2 thousand years ago
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