Scientists reveal the origin of an ancient sea monster from Scandinavian manuscripts

Australian scientists have concluded that an ancient sea monster called hafgufa, described in medieval Scandinavian manuscripts is not a monster or an extinct animal at all, but just whale. Their study published in Marine Mammal Science.

A detailed description of the animal is contained in a 13th-century manuscript called Konungs skuggsj. It was written for the Norwegian king Hakon IV the Old, who ruled from 1217 to 1263. Scientists have found references to it in older records up to the 2nd century AD.

Contemporaries of the "monster" described in detail his strange manner of hunting. They reported that it freezes above the surface of the water, opens its mouth, emits stench and thus attracts fish. As it turns out, humpback whales and Bryde's minke whales also emit a specific odor when they regurgitate their food to lure prey.

Biologists described this feeding strategy about a decade ago, after they were able to capture videos of whales lurking with their mouths wide open in a motionless vertical position near the surface of the water. Unsuspecting schools of fish took the gaping maw as a refuge and swam straight into the death trap.

Such a simple explanation for the monster has only now been found for two reasons, scientists say. First, with the advent of drones, it has become easier to study the habits of modern animals. Second, whale populations are just beginning to recover to their natural, pre-whaling size. As their numbers grow, their behavior changes, and ancient instincts awaken in them.