ACS Monterey Bay Program for March 2004
Whalefalls: new insights into ecology on the deep sea
floor
 Photo © 2002 MBARI. Crabs and an octopus living on the skull of the dead whale observed by ROV Tiburon in October 2002. |
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) |
As many as 500 Gray whales may die each year along their migratory path. Many, perhaps most, reach the deep sea floor. There they are scavenged by such organisms as sharks and hagfish. Later, the carcasses are colonized by a unique community of invertebrates including clams, tubeworms and other groups. This "successional community" resembles in some ways that found at hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. The use of submersibles has led to some remarkable discoveries.
During February 2002 MBARI scientists discovered the well-preserved carcass of a juvenile Gray whale at 2,891 m. depth in the axis of the Monterey Canyon. The 9-10 m long carcass had settled approximately 31 km offshore against the northern wall of the Canyon. The scientists were impressed by the abundance of unusual polychaete worms feeding on and around the carcass, and several of these worms have proved to be new to science. Subsequently the site was visited four times to document faunal changes in one of the deepest large food falls discovered to date.
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© 2002 MBARI. All rights reserved.(from MBARI web page http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2002/dec20_whalefall.html)
Last updated April 4, 2004.