Forgotten Mediterranean calving grounds of grey and North Atlantic right whales: evidence from Roman archaeological records

Abstract

Right whales () were extirpated from the eastern North Atlantic by commercial whaling. Grey whales () disappeared from the entire North Atlantic in still-mysterious circumstances. Here, we test the hypotheses that both species previously occurred in the Mediterranean Sea, an area not currently considered part of their historical range. We used ancient DNA barcoding and collagen fingerprinting methods to taxonomically identify a rare set of 10 presumed whale bones from Roman and pre-Roman archaeological sites in the Strait of Gibraltar region, plus an additional bone from the Asturian coast. We identified three right whales, and three grey whales, demonstrating that the ranges of both of these species historically encompassed the Gibraltar region, probably including the Mediterranean Sea as calving grounds. Our results significantly extend the known range of the Atlantic grey whale, and suggest that 2000 years ago, right and grey whales were common when compared with other whale species. The disappearance of right and grey whales from the Mediterranean region is likely to have been accompanied by broader ecosystem impacts, including the disappearance of their predators (killer whales) and a reduction in marine primary productivity. The evidence that these two coastal and highly accessible species were present along the shores of the Roman Empire raises the hypothesis that they may have formed the basis of a forgotten whaling industry.

Investigating the implications of shifting baseline syndrome on conservation

“…There is a wealth of empirical evidence recording our long‐term impacts on the natural environment, from species extinctions and habitat loss (Dirzo et al., 2014) to climate change (Steffen et al., 2015). Despite this, conservation baselines are often formed using only recent information (Rodrigues et al., 2018). By focusing on more recent timescales, we may lose perspective on the true magnitude of long‐term environmental change (Rost, 2018).…”

Natal origin of Namibian grey whale implies new distance record for in-water migration

“…Dated fossils had placed the grey whale in the North Atlantic during both the Holocene [22] and the Pleistocene [23]. Rodrigues et al [10] propose a 'forgotten Mediterranean calving ground' for grey whales based on three fossils dated to Roman times. The bones were not proposed to be from calves, but the location and the writings of Pliny the Elder led them to propose a breeding population.…”

Medieval Whalers in the Netherlands and Flanders: Zooarchaeological Analysis of Medieval Cetacean Remains

“…Samples of approximately 30 mg were taken from each bone and processed in the BioArCh laboratory at the University of York, UK. Collagen extraction, purification, mass spectrometry and peptide mass fingerprinting identifications followed the method outlined in Rodrigues et al (2018). Briefly, the bone was demineralised in 0.6 M hydrochloric acid, and the resulting collagen gelatinised through incubation in 100 μl of 50 mM ammonium bicarbonate at 65°C for 1 h. The collagen was digested through incubation with 0.4 μg of trypsin overnight at 37°C and purified using a 100 μl C18 resin ZipTip® pipette tip (EMD Millipore).…”

“…harpoons, boats) or extensive historic records, archaeologists may infer the emergence of active whaling by examining the composition of cetacean species present at archaeological sites (Speller et al 2016). For example, the presence of a variety of cetacean species, including large, off-shore, fast-swimming species may be more consistent with opportunistic exploitation of beached animals or carcasses, while an increase in the proportion of smaller, slow-moving, near-shore, or easy-to-capture species, may indicate deliberate acquisition (Rodrigues et al 2018).…”