Long before the age of harpoons and whaling ships, early humans were already unlocking the utility of the ocean’s giants. A groundbreaking discovery reveals they were crafting tools from whale bones nearly 20,000 years ago.
Key Points at a Glance
- Whale bone tools found in Spain date back nearly 20,000 years
- They represent some of the earliest evidence of human-whale interaction
- Mass spectrometry identified bones from five large whale species
- Findings suggest whales had different feeding behaviors in the past
- The tools offer insight into ancient coastal ecosystems and human adaptation
Hidden beneath the soil of northern Spain, in coastal caves and archaeological sites hugging the Bay of Biscay, lay silent witnesses to a remarkable chapter of human ingenuity. These were not fossilized skeletons of extinct predators or shards of pottery—but tools. Tools made from the bones of whales, dating back nearly 20,000 years. This extraordinary discovery by a coalition of scientists from ICTA-UAB, CNRS, and the University of British Columbia fundamentally reshapes our understanding of how Paleolithic humans interacted with the sea’s largest inhabitants.
Led by archaeologist Jean-Marc Pétillon and detailed in Nature Communications, the research reveals the analysis of 83 bone tools and an additional 90 whale bone fragments, painstakingly excavated from the Santa Catalina Cave and other coastal sites. Using cutting-edge ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) and radiocarbon dating, the team identified these bones as belonging to at least five distinct whale species, including sperm whales, fin whales, and even blue whales—today’s oceanic leviathans.
The revelation is staggering not just for its age—approximately 19,000 to 20,000 years—but for what it implies. These ancient peoples were not merely scavenging coastal resources; they were sophisticated enough to recognize the utility of massive whale remains and shape them into functional tools. While the exact use of each object is still being examined, the implications are clear: whales were central to the material culture and survival strategies of Paleolithic coastal communities.
Yet the story deepens. Some of the identified bones came from grey whales—now extinct in the Atlantic—and from specimens that exhibit chemical traces hinting at subtly different feeding habits than their modern descendants. This suggests that over millennia, both the whales and their ecosystems have changed, perhaps drastically. These bones become more than just tools; they’re data archives, preserving secrets about ancient marine life and shifting oceanic ecologies.
Krista McGrath, co-lead author from ICTA-UAB, emphasizes the unique power of ZooMS in this context. Many bone tools lack clear morphometric indicators—distinctive features that help identify species. But ZooMS, which analyzes collagen peptides, allowed the team to piece together a clearer picture of marine biodiversity long before written history. “It’s a kind of molecular archaeology,” McGrath explains—one that peels back time not just through structure, but through biochemistry.
This research comes at a crucial moment. With coastal archaeological sites threatened by rising sea levels and climate change, each preserved discovery gains greater urgency. These ancient artifacts don’t just teach us about the past—they offer a mirror for the present, showing how deeply interwoven human lives have always been with marine ecosystems.
In their bones, these whales carried not just the weight of their immense bodies, but the stories of early human survival, adaptability, and respect for nature’s resources. And in studying them, we’re reminded that the sea has long been both a provider and a partner to humankind—one whose depths still hold stories waiting to resurface.
