A whale fall is a whale carcass that has fallen to the ocean floor. Whale falls were first observed in the 1980s, with the advent of deep-sea robotic exploration.
When a whale dies in shallow water, its carcass is typically devoured by scavengers over a relatively short period—within several months. However, in deeper water (depths of 2,000 m/6,600 ft or greater), fewer scavenger species exist, and the carcass can provide sustenance for a complex localized ecosystem over periods of decades. Some of the organisms that have been observed at whale falls are giant isopods, squat lobsters, bristleworms, prawns, shrimp, lobsters, hagfish, Osedax (bone-eating worms), crabs, sea cucumbers, octopuses, clams, and even deep-sea sleeper sharks. Whale falls are often inhabited by large colonies of tube worms. Over 30 previously unknown species have been discovered at whale falls.
Read more about Whale Fall: Discovery, Discrete Ecosystem, The Fossil Record
Famous quotes containing the words whale and/or fall:
“In clear weather the laziest may look across the Bay as far as Plymouth at a glance, or over the Atlantic as far as human vision reaches, merely raising his eyelids; or if he is too lazy to look after all, he can hardly help hearing the ceaseless dash and roar of the breakers. The restless ocean may at any moment cast up a whale or a wrecked vessel at your feet. All the reporters in the world, the most rapid stenographers, could not report the news it brings.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“When the flight is not high the fall is not heavy.”
—Chinese proverb.