Article ID: CBB254543425

A ‘sea monster’ depicted in the 1585 map of Iceland may exemplify spy-hopping behaviour in cetaceans (2024)

unapi

While there is a long history of misidentifying whales as sea monsters, historical maps and anecdotes can provide early depictions and descriptions of cetacean biology. For example, the map of ‘Islandia’ [Iceland] reproduced by Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598) in numerous printings of his atlas Theatrum orbis terrarum has an array of sea monsters, including the ‘Staukul’, that was said to stand upright out of the water for extended periods. This may be the earliest portrayal of spy-hopping, a common behaviour in which whales elevate themselves above the water to observe their surroundings.

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Authors & Contributors
Broecke, Marcel van den
Imhof, Dirk
Jones, Ryan Tucker
Koester, David
Robey, Jessica Chiswick
Vandersmissen, Jan
Journals
Imago Mundi: A Review of Early Cartography
Archives of Natural History
American Historical Review
Caert-Thresoor: Tijdschrift voor de geschiedenis van de kartografie in Nederland
Environment and History
Human Ecology: An Interdisciplinary Journal
Publishers
New York University
Brill
Camden House (Boydell & Brewer)
Oxford University Press
University of California, Santa Barbara
De Gruyter Oldenbourg
Concepts
Maps; atlases
Cartography
Marine biology
Whales
Geography
Environmental history
People
Ortelius, Abraham
Hoefnagel, Joris
Mercator, Gerardus
Rafinesque, Constantine Samuel
Wilkes, Charles
Mongitore, Antonino
Time Periods
16th century
19th century
17th century
Renaissance
18th century
20th century, early
Places
Iceland
Belgium
Europe
North America
Netherlands
Pacific Ocean
Institutions
United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842)
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