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

• Published in: Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies
• Main Authors: Arbogast, Rose-Marie, Richter, Kristine Korzow, Ludes, Elisabeth, Wagner, Antoine, Carita, David, Guidez, Aurélie, Soussoko, Samba, Boivin, Nicole, Marche, Jean-Christophe, Wandhammer, Marie-Dominique, Meister, Marie
• Other Authors: Etude des Civilisations de l'Antiquité (UMR 7044), Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Université Marc Bloch - Strasbourg II-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Archéologie et histoire ancienne : Méditerranée - Europe (ARCHIMEDE), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (MCC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2020
• Subjects: archeo; museo; New Zealand; baleen whales; toothed whales
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5334/jcms.196; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03026998

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whale bone specimens from the Museum of Zoology, Strasbourg, using a multidisciplinary approach that combined historical document analysis, osteology, and Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS).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.