Whale graveyard discovered 7km under the sea
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A 5.3-million-year-old deep-sea whale necropolis in the Diamantina Zone
A deep-sea submersible unexpectedly discovered whale bones and ancient fossils on the ocean floor, concentrated in a deep groove known as the Diamantina Fracture Zone. Researchers used the Fendouzhe submersible to descend into the largely unexplored depths and were amazed to find deep sea creatures living on fallen whale bones as well as hundreds of fossils. The oldest fossil was dated to over 5 million years and another represented a previously unknown species of extinct beaked whale.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01886-x
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The ocean's deepest animal ecosystem
Watching a whale’s diet with underwater cameras
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