Scientists Identify Deepest Known Whale Graveyard in Indian Ocean

Researchers have identified five whale carcass sites and numerous fossils at a depth of seven kilometres in the southeastern Indian Ocean. The bones include skulls from beaked and baleen whales, with some dating back 5.3 million years. The site is described as the deepest, oldest and largest whale graveyard discovered to date.

Expeditions conducted in 2023 used deep-sea submersibles to locate the remains.

by the Remains The whale bones sustain an ecosystem that includes jellyfish, tubeworms, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, squat lobsters and saltwater clams. Several of the species may be previously unknown to science. Findings were published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. The carcasses create long-lasting food sources for deep-sea organisms because of the whales' size and bone chemistry.

Extreme depth limits sediment burial, and a thin mineral coating from seawater may slow deterioration. Researchers remain uncertain why multiple whales accumulated at the same location. Possible explanations include natural habitat use, exhaustion or illness from deep diving, and the V-shaped seabed geography that may have channelled remains over millions of years.

The discovery offers data on how life persists in environments without light or oxygen and under high pressure, according to the study's authors.