World's largest whale graveyard found by sub at bottom of ocean
Summary
Chinese scientists discovered the largest whale graveyard on Earth at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. The site holds nearly 500 whale skeletons, some over 5 million years old, and supports diverse deep-sea animals living off the whale remains.Key Facts
- The whale graveyard is located in the Diamantina Zone of the Indian Ocean, west of Australia.
- Scientists found nearly 500 whale skeletons up to 7,000 meters deep along a 1,200-kilometer area.
- Fossils date back as far as 5.3 million years.
- The site supports many deep-sea creatures like jellyfish, brittle stars, bone-boring worms, and bivalves.
- A new extinct species of whale was identified among the fossils.
- Whale carcasses provide food for deep-sea life and contribute about 6.7 million tonnes of stored carbon.
- The discovery was made by the Chinese submersible Fendouzhe during 32 dives in 2023.
- The graveyard acts as an evolutionary hotspot, linking various deep-sea communities similar to hydrothermal vents.
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