March 29, 2024

Ancient knowledge: the behavior of whales beyond the sea monsters

A newly identified humpback whale feeding technique was probably described 1,800 years ago and later inspired Norse mythology. This is the conclusion reached by John McCarthy, Irene Sibo and Matthew Firth of Australia’s Flinders University in Adelaide. Whales have been recorded using their lower jaws as fish traps for a number of years. This is similar to the descriptions of the Scandinavian sea monster «Hafjofa». As they write in the journal Marine Mammal ScienceThis has been possible in humpback whales since 2014 (Megaptera novaeangliae) Pride whales (Balaenoptera brydei) They noticed very unusual behavior dating back to an ancient manuscript. Experts are now asking why technology has so far escaped modern whale research.