An extensive collection of modified bone artifacts, retrieved from 26 Paleolithic cave and alcove sites situated within the Cantabrian region of Spain and southwestern France, has undergone thorough archaeological scrutiny.
Taxonomic identification of the 173 worked (a) and unworked (b) bone objects: (1) blank, Tito Bustillo, sperm whale; (2) projectile point with massive base, Isturitz, blue whale; (3) projectile point, Brassempouy, fin whale; (4) possible foreshaft, Las Caldas, sperm whale; (5) projectile point with massive base, Ermittia, gray whale; (6) unidentified object, Saint-Michel, sperm whale; (7-10) unworked fragments of fin whale bone, Santa Catalina. Image credit: McGrath et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-59486-8.
“Whales, Earth’s most colossal creatures, furnished a vital supply of sustenance and essential resources such as oil and bone,” stated lead author Dr. Krista McGrath, an archaeologist affiliated with the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in conjunction with her colleagues.
“Consequently, their presence is presumed to have been instrumental in the sustenance of numerous human populations inhabiting coastal environments.”
“Nevertheless, discerning the origins of human-whale interactions presents considerable difficulties, given that coastal archaeological loci are inherently susceptible to degradation and the detrimental effects of rising sea levels, thereby impeding the preservation of empirical evidence pertaining to early human-marine mammal associations.”
Within the scope of their investigation, the researchers conducted an analysis of 83 bone implements excavated from cave and rockshelter sites encircling the Bay of Biscay in Spain, augmented by an additional 90 bone fragments sourced from Santa Catalina Cave, also located within the Biscay province.
Employing mass spectrometry coupled with radiocarbon dating methodologies, they successfully determined the species and antiquity of these excavated artifacts.
The two most ancient dates were derived from the Cantabrian locations of Rascaño and El Juyo, yielding chronologies of 20,200-19,600 and 19,600-19,000 years ago, respectively.
“Our findings indicate that the skeletal remains originated from a minimum of five distinct species of large whales, with the oldest specimens dating back approximately 19,000 to 20,000 years,” commented senior author Dr. Jean-Marc Pétillon, an archaeologist associated with the Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès and CNRS.
“These discoveries represent some of the most ancient documented instances of humankind utilizing whale byproducts as tools.”
“ZooMS constitutes a potent analytical instrument for scrutinizing the diversity of extinct marine mammals, particularly in instances where definitive morphometric indicators are absent from bone fragments and objects, a common scenario with osseous artifacts,” Dr. McGrath elaborated.
“We were able to ascertain the presence of species such as sperm whales, fin whales, and blue whales, all of which still inhabit the Bay of Biscay presently, in addition to gray whales, a species now primarily confined to the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans.”
“Furthermore, geochemical data extracted from the skeletal material suggests that the dietary habits of these prehistoric whales exhibited subtle divergences from those of their present-day counterparts, hinting at potential shifts in their behavior or the broader marine milieu.”
“In summation, this groundbreaking discovery not only enhances our comprehension of the early utilization of whale remains by humans but also illuminates the ecological role that whales played in past environments.”
The scientific manuscript detailing the team’s findings is published today in the esteemed journal Nature Communications; access it via the following link: paper.
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K. McGrath et al. 2025. Late Paleolithic whale bone tools reveal human and whale ecology in the Bay of Biscay. Nat Commun 16, 4646; doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-59486-8
