Seals and Crocodiles: The Notion of Naturally Deformed
Animals in Classical Greek Culture
Evrydiki Tasopoulou
Bryn Mawr College (Classical and N. Eastern Archaeology)
etasopou@brynmawr.edu
Literary evidence deriving from Aristotle's zoological treatises indicates that certain species of animals posed problems of classification due to anatomical and behavioral anomalies they exhibited. Straddling between the distinct groups of terrestrial and aquatic animals, seals, for example, were thought of as 'boundary-crossers' since they possessed both feet and fins, had auditory canals but no ears, slept and brought forth their young on the land, but spent most of their time in the sea, from which they also received their food. Such contradictory anatomical and behavioral characteristics identified seals as deformed creatures. Similarly, this notion of naturally deformed species encompassed additional creatures such as crocodiles, apes, ostriches, bats, lobsters, hermit-crabs, and sea-anemones.
Focusing on literary, iconographic, and archaeological evidence,
this paper discusses the Classical Greek notion of natural deformity in regards
to two particular species: seals and crocodiles. It suggests that the designation
of these animals as deformed was the result of fourth-century scientific knowledge
combined with earlier and contemporary popular beliefs about these animals.
Further, by integrating literary evidence which attests to the existence of
dietary restrictions on the consumption of additional deformed creatures (e.g.,
lobsters and sea-anemones), this paper presents another aspect of the cultural
treatment that these creatures received. In this way, useful insight is gained
not only into the attitude that Classical Greek culture exhibited towards species
of animals perceived as naturally deformed, but also into how deformity was
defined within the boundaries of the discussion on animals.