First records of grey whale, Eschrichtius robustus, from Scotland

• Main Authors: Kitchener, A.C., Szabo, V.E., Buckley, Michael, van den Hurk, Y., Mainland, I., Carruthers, M., MacKay, C., Frasier, B.A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: ResearchInstitutes_Networks_Beacons/manchester_institute_of_biotechnology; Manchester Institute of Biotechnology; ResearchInstitutes_Networks_Beacons/MERI; Manchester Environmental Research Institute; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/publications/8219c019-bff4-4272-b371-68d24e678e81; https://www.mammal.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MC2013_First-records-of-grey-whale.pdf

Application of ancient DNA analysis and collagen fingerprinting offers new opportunities to understand the exploitation of cetaceans by human coastal communities by allowing identification of fragmentary and modified cetacean bone to species and or generic level. Analyses from Orkney and Shetland have identified presence of the grey whale at archeological sites in Scotland for the first time. This is the first confirmation that seas around Scotland were part of the grey whale range in the eastern North Atlantic.