One of the rarest whales in the world was not a victim of extensive whaling as previously supposed.

Fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales remain, with the blame for their demise laid at the harpoon tips of 16th and 17th century whalers.

But a new study of ancient whale bones confirms the population of northern right whales has for centuries been small with a limited genetic diversity.

That strongly suggests a mass cull of the animals never took place.

"This is a big surprise given what was previously thought about the species," says Dr Brenna McLeod, previously at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, who has published the latest study in the journal Conservation Genetics.

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