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A captive whale is a very interesting theory. Could the different diet be the result of being fed by humans? I found this[0] interesting story from April about

A captive whale is a very interesting theory. Could the different diet be the result of being fed by humans? I found this[0] interesting story from April about a tame beluga that approached a Norwegian fishing boat. It was wearing a tight harness, apparently meant for a camera, with markings that suggest a Russian origin. I also found a very recent case where a Russian company illegally caught nearly 97 belugas and orcas and kept them in pens[1]. 8 of them were to be released today. This company supplies whales to aquariums. [0] https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2019/04/29/strangely-behaving-beluga-wearing-a-russian-harness-raises-alarm-in-norway/ https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2019/04/29/strangely-behavi... [1] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/06/russia-moves-orcas-and-belugas-from-whale-jail/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/06/russia-mo...

pvaldes 7y ago
Could be. Diet study in skulls is all about isotopes. Different isotopes mean different preys, or preys from different trophic chains that in practice mean different locations. Would be interesting to know details about the death of the animal and how old and how was preserved the skull. If is a very old skull could mean also that the ecosystem in the same area has changed, and the whale feeded on preys that became rare later. Is well known that fisheries flourished in both world wars by the presence of submarines and frigates. Offshore fishing was a very dangerous activity in those years, so our common "war against fishes" stopped for a while.