Résumé
Right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) were extirpated from the eastern North
Atlantic by commercial whaling. Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus)
disappeared from the entire North Atlantic in still-mysterious
circumstances. Here we test the hypotheses that both of these 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 gray whales,
demonstrating that the ranges of both of these species historically
encompassed the Gibraltar region, and likely including the Mediterranean
Sea as calving grounds. Our results significantly extend the known range
of the Atlantic gray whale, and suggest that 2,000 years ago right and
gray whales were common when compared to other whale species. The
disappearance of right and gray 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 hypotheses that they may have formed the basis of a
forgotten whaling industry.