5 Million-Year-Old 'Whale Graveyard' Discovered in Indian Ocean at 7,000 Meters Depth

An international team of scientists has uncovered what is believed to be the largest and deepest whale graveyard, located in the southeastern Indian Ocean. The site, situated within the Diamantina area, a region characterized by trenches and mountains, yielded fossils dating back over 5 million years.

During 32 dives conducted in 2023 using a submersible, researchers identified 485 whale fossil sites. They also discovered five whale carcasses in advanced stages of decomposition. These findings occurred at depths of approximately 7,000 meters, significantly deeper than most previously discovered "whale falls," which are typically found in waters shallower than 4 kilometers.

The vast area, stretching about 1,200 kilometers northwest to southeast, is being considered a previously unidentified "whale fall super-corridor." Among the significant discoveries were the fossilized skull of Pterocetus benguelae, an extinct species of beaked whale from about 5.3 million years ago, and another skull belonging to Pterocetus diamantinae, a species new to science. The researchers also observed various organisms feeding on the decaying whale remains, including crustaceans, mollusks, bone-eating worms, and brittle stars.

Dr. Giovanni Bianucci from the University of Pisa, one of the study's authors, highlighted the discovery's importance in demonstrating how life adapts to extreme deep-sea environments, characterized by the absence of light and immense pressure. The findings were published in the journal Nature.

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The discovery shows how life can adapt to deep-sea environments where there is no light and the pressure is extremely high.