Vikings probably hunted Iceland's walruses to extinction for ivory

New Scientist ^ | 16 September 2019 | Colin Barras

[HighSierra5]

Mega McCain is proof that the Vikings didn’t hunt all the Walruses to extinction.

[Flick Lives]

Walrus is delicious, but it’s a pain to knead the dough to make the oversized buns for the walrus sandwiches.

—

I like big buns and I cannot lie
You other brothers can’t deny

[Starstruck]

Before the Norse settlers arrived, the main business in Iceland was carpentry. And surprisingly all the oysters in the area disappeared.

[CommerceComet]

Perhaps the Vikings were partially responsible for eliminating the walrus from Iceland but I suspect the Medieval Warm Period is more responsible. The habitat became marginal and reduced the number of walrus so that Viking hunting could finish off the remaining ones.

[A Navy Vet]

Stop making sense. Do any of these tree-huggers ever consider why some 95% of species that ever existed are extinct?

[dainbramaged]

Upon harvesting a walrus, Alaskan Indians (Aleuts, Eskimos) chow down on the undigested clams found in the animal’s stomach.

[CommerceComet]

Stop making sense. Do any of these tree-huggers ever consider why some 95% of species that ever existed are extinct?

They won't be happy with someone bringing up the fact the earth has had cycles of warming without the "evil" internal combustion engine.

[SunkenCiv]

...more like Eric the Red salad. ;^).

[blueplum]

Greenland too, it seems. But how do researchers differentiate between Greenland walrus and Iceland walrus, being the two islands are so close together?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/06/walrus-shortage-may-have-caused-collapse-of-norse-greenland

[SunkenCiv]

Maybe they ask The Egg Man? ;^)