BARCELONA, SPAIN—A statement from the Autonomous University of Barcelona reports that communities living around 5,000 years ago in the Babitonga Bay region on Brazil’s southern coast actively hunted whales. An international research team led by Krista McGrath and André Colonese examined whale bones and bone tools recovered from sambaquis, or shell mounds, in the area. These materials are currently held at the Archaeological Museum of Sambaqui of Joinville.

The analysis identified remains from several species, including southern right whales, humpback whales, blue whales, sei whales, sperm whales, and dolphins. Many of the bones displayed clear cut marks consistent with butchering. The researchers also documented large harpoons made from whale bone, suggesting that these marine mammals were deliberately hunted rather than opportunistically scavenged.

According to McGrath, the findings show that these ancient communities possessed the expertise, equipment, and specialized methods needed to hunt large whales far earlier than previously believed.