Whale Bone Puzzles: Reconstructing and Identifying Historical Whale Skeletons Using Archive Records, Osteology, and Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS)

Abstract

Museum collections not only provide educational tools for the public, but also reference material for osteological research and baseline information for understanding historical population dynamics and food webs. Such applications are only possible, however, with accurate identifications of museum osteological specimens, which is sometimes challenging, as specimens can be separated from their original information. In order to clarify missing information about provenience and species identifications, we analysed 13 historical whale bone specimens from the Museum of Zoology, Strasbourg, using a multidisciplinary approach that combined historical document analysis, osteology, and Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS). These analyses enabled identification of elements from seven different whale species: five baleen whales (Mysticeti) and two toothed whales (Odontoceti). Two skeletons could be connected with letters from the early 1900s indicating they derived from whales stranded on the shores of South Island, New Zealand. One of these skeletons was digitized using a 3D scanner and can be freely viewed online. All of the samples will be available through a digital archive. The identification and digitization of these museum whale specimens, which include threatened and endangered whale species whose past histories are not yet fully understood, is of great value and ensures they are fully available for future systematic research. The study demonstrates a new and useful application of ZooMS, particularly in concert with other methods, to support museum collections research.

Paleoproteomics

“…It is also fast and inexpensive, which allows it to be performed at scale and with high throughput. This combination of features makes it a highly flexible method that can successfully support both smallscale budget-restricted projects on specific questions 182,183 as well as large-scale exploratory studies of thousands of samples. 184,185 2.4.2.…”

A primer for ZooMS applications in archaeology

“…These include worked bone and antler (bone points, arrowheads, daggers, rings, combs), leather, composite artifacts, parchment, works of art, and gelatin-coated photographs ( 5 – 7 , 24 – 29 ). In addition, it has been used to help identify remains in museum collections in cases where the associated metadata have been lost ( 30 ).…”

Shifting Baselines to Thresholds: Reframing Exploitation in the Marine Environment

“…For example, cetaceans are morphologically hard to identify from traditional zooarchaeological analysis. ZooMS has become an alternative method for more accurate taxonomic identification of these specimens, which might otherwise not be identified (Kitchener et al, 2004;Speller et al, 2016;Rodrigues et al, 2018;van den Hurk et al, 2020van den Hurk et al, , 2021Wagner et al, 2020). Based on palaeoproteomic data, scientists were able to suggest an expanded distribution range for gray whales in the Mediterranean (Rodrigues et al, 2018), providing information that could be used to define ecological and evolutionary thresholds.…”