Scientists have discovered marine communities, including jellyfish, tubeworms, and brittle stars, living on an ancient whale graveyard. When a whale carcass falls to the sea floor, it becomes a source of food for surrounding creatures. This particular graveyard, located up to 23,000 feet (7 kilometers) beneath the southeastern Indian Ocean, is the deepest and most expansive ever found.

According to Xikun Song, a biologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, the whale’s size and bone chemistry form these unique underwater habitats. Song stated that the deep ocean’s nature poses significant challenges for scientists trying to locate these sites.

“The very nature of the deep ocean makes these sites exceptionally difficult for scientists to locate,” said Song.

Researchers conducted multiple submersible trips in 2023, collecting samples and mapping the necropolis. They identified five carcass sites and fossils, including skulls of beaked and baleen whales. The oldest of these bones are estimated to be 5.3 million years old.

A diverse range of creatures, such as sea cucumbers, squat lobsters, and saltwater clams, were found living and feeding on the remains. Many of these species had not been previously documented, as published in the journal Nature.

“The potential number of specimens is just astounding,” commented Stephen Godfrey, a paleontologist at the Calvert Marine Museum in Maryland, who wasn’t involved in the study.

Several factors have helped preserve the bones over millions of years. Their density protects them from bone-eating worms, and the depth prevents burial under dust and particles. Additionally, a light mineral layer from seawater may have slowed degradation.

The reasons behind the numerous whale deaths in this area remain uncertain. Some whales might have died naturally while living nearby, and others may have succumbed to exhaustion or illness during deep-sea diving. The geographic shape, resembling a V, may have channeled the remains to this location.

These discoveries shed light on how marine life adapts to extreme conditions such as lack of light, low oxygen levels, and high pressure. Understanding whale graveyards is critical for comprehending life’s resilience in such severe environments, according to Giovanni Bianucci, a paleontologist at the University of Pisa in Italy.

“Studying the whale graveyards is important for understanding how life can adapt to such extreme conditions,” Bianucci remarked.