Millions of Fossil Whale Bones Found in Deep Ocean Graveyard

Episode 375

The world’s deepest known whale graveyard has been discovered in the southern Indian Ocean. Located at a depth of seven kilometres, it contains millions of whale bones and has been described as a “deep-sea fossil megasite” and a whale necropolis.

Chinese researchers, diving in the crewed Fendouzhe submersible, undertook 32 dives along 1200 kilometres of the seafloor in an area known as the Diamantina Zone. They discovered a vast amount of whale bones of different ages. 

Recent carcasses support a thriving ecosystem of invertebrates such as bone eating worms and brittle stars, but there are also fossil bones up to 5 million years old. 

Why are the bones collected in this area? Join host Rowan Hooper and reporter James Woodford as they discuss the startling and eerie discovery.
To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

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