RIGTH AND GREY WHALE INHABITED THE MEDITERRANEAN IN ROMAN TIMESNorth Atlantic right whales (Eubalaen
RIGTH AND GREY WHALE INHABITED THE MEDITERRANEAN IN ROMAN TIMESNorth Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) were extirpated from the eastern North Atlantic by commercial whaling, with same lucky as grey whales (Eschrichtius robustus), that disappeared from the North Atlantic in still mysterious circumstances. Now, researchers believe both species previously occurred in the Mediterranean Sea, an area not currently considered part of their historical range. Ancient Roman hunters may have eliminated both species from the Mediterranean, suggesting commercial whaling is much older than we though. The study is published in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B..- Summary of knowledge on the historical distribution of both species. DNA tests conducted on the remains from an ancient Roman fishing site suggest a whale hunting tradition. According to the study, Gibraltar was the centre of an enormous fish processing industry during the Roman era, and the ruins of hundreds of factories with salting tanks can still be seen across the region, along the beaches of Tarifa. Centuries of whaling activity that peaked in the 19th century almost completely wiped out both species, with small populations surviving off the coast of North America and in the Pacific Ocean.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, such are orcas, and a reduction in marine primary productivity..Reference: Aerial view of some of the salting tanks (cetaria) of the ancient Roman city of Baelo Claudia, current Tarifa (Spain). Credits: UCA.Reference (Open Access): Rodrigues et al., 2018 Forgotten Mediterranean calving grounds of grey and North Atlantic right whales: evidence from Roman archaeological records’. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B[Image description: salting tanks ruins from an aerial view. Are made by scarved rock, some are circle shaped, by other are square, all within the same area.] -- source link
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