In November 1820, a sperm whale attacked and sank the Whaleship Essex while the 20-man crew hurried into smaller vessels. Within weeks, the men ran out of water, food and hope of a rescue. As crew members began to die from starvation and dehydration, survivors turned to their bodies and bones as a source of nourishment.
Cannibalism has long been a taboo topic in the U.S., and European missionaries or explorers in foreign lands used the practice as an excuse to justify violence.
But it is common in the natural world. Animals hunt and eat their own kind out of necessity, due to environmental stresses, or simply because they like the taste. Scientists began studying cannibalism in the 1970s. Since then, they’ve learned more about how it occurs and whether there are limits as to who is off the menu. Researchers are finding that cannibalism isn’t a feeding frenzy. Depending on environmental factors, cannibalism can be predictable.
