When A Whale Dies

A whale's role does not end at death. When a great whale dies, its body sinks to the deep seafloor and creates a whale fall — a sudden feast in a place where food is normally scarce.

First, sharks and hagfish strip the flesh. Then crabs and worms work the bones. Finally, special bacteria feed on the fats locked inside the skeleton for years. A single carcass can support a small, shifting community of deep-sea life for decades, turning one death into a long-running ecosystem.