Explorers stumble across whale carcass at bottom of ocean – what they find feasting on it fills them with awe

Researchers studying deep-sea minerals came across something extremely valuable: whale fall. 

Whale fall is “a dead whale that has sunk to the bottom of the ocean and now serves as an ephemeral oasis of food for deep-sea life,” according to the Schmidt Ocean Institute, which shared the footage of its 2021 expedition. 

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Whale fall is an important part of the marine food web. The carcass provides food and vital nutrients for many species at the bottom of the sea. 

"We are just beginning to understand the valuable resources of our ocean ecosystem,” says Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Ocean Institute.

“We can’t protect what we don’t know and understand, and the human impact on our ocean over the past 75 years has had a detrimental effect on its health and on the many ocean systems that support life on land."

Image and video credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute

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