When a whale dies, life begins.
It sounds strange, but a dead whale sinking to the ocean floor creates one of the most incredible ecosystems on Earth.
What’s a “whale fall”?
That’s the name for what happens when a whale’s body sinks deep into the sea. But instead of disappearing, it becomes a feast for life.
An underwater city rises
Hagfish and sharks arrive first to strip the flesh.
Crabs and worms move in next.
Then bacteria and rare deep-sea species build a thriving community.
This process can last 50 to 100 years.
From death comes diversity
A single whale fall can support over 100 different species, some found nowhere else on Earth.
The deep sea never wastes
In the cold, dark depths, a dead whale isn’t the end. It’s a new beginning.
This is also one of the reasons everything you see isn't for food. Some are just in the ocean for the purpose of clearing It