A Submersible Ride Revealed a Vast Whale Graveyard. And It Holds More than Just Bones
Researchers found 485 whale-fossil deposits and five modern whale falls, including remains from a previously unknown species.
- On Wednesday, researchers reported discovery of a massive "whale necropolis" in the Indian Ocean's Diamantina Zone, spanning approximately 746 miles with nearly 500 fossil deposits and modern remains.
- Chinese scientists aboard the Fendouzhe submersible identified the site after 32 dives in 2023. The Diamantina Zone's V-shaped topography acts as a migratory corridor, funneling whale carcasses to the deep seafloor.
- The site contains fossils dating back at least 5.3 million years, including previously unknown species Pterocetus diamantinae. Researchers observed diverse deep-sea life such as brittle stars and worms thriving on recent whale falls.
- Researcher Xiaotong Peng said the carcasses translate to "roughly 6.7 million tonnes of sequestered carbon." The graveyard allows scientists to study the "diversity and abundance of beaked whales" in the Indian Ocean.
- While this is the largest site found, researchers suggest similar graveyards may exist off South Africa and the Crozet islands. The discovery offers unique opportunity to understand how deep-sea communities connect through sustained biological feasts.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Chinese researchers discovered the largest whale cemetery registered so far in the Indian Ocean. The finding includes 485 fossils of cetaceans distributed along a 1,200-kilometer underwater corridor west of Australia. Some remains are 5.3 million years old, according to a study published this Wednesday in Nature magazine. Research indicates that these skeletons sustain a wide ecosystem in the deep sea. In addition, several of the associated orga…
Scientists Discover Vast Ancient ‘Necropolis’ Teeming With Strange New Creatures
Welcome back to the Abstract! Here are the studies this week that died in the deep, let nature call, tossed a galactic salad, and became interstellar voyeurs.First, there’s a whale necropolis under the sea that is packed with ancient carcasses and teeming with new species. Then: a bygone world preserved in poop, the fruits of the universe’s labor, and a zoom lens for distant planets. As always, for more of my work, check out my book First Contac…
World’s largest whale graveyard discovered by Chinese scientists
By Daniel Lawler The world’s largest whale graveyard has been discovered at the bottom of the Indian Ocean by Chinese scientists, who found that the vast expanse of both new and ancient carcasses supports huge communities of deep-sea life. This handout photograph, taken in 2023 and released on June 10, 2026, by Global TREnD, IDSSE, shows a robotic arm manoeuvring a whale bone at the world’s biggest known whale graveyard, discovered by the Chines…
A submersible ride revealed a vast whale graveyard. And it holds more than just bones
Scientists who recently piloted a submersible to a remote spot in the southeastern Indian Ocean have identified one of the largest and deepest whale graveyards containing hundreds of fossils, including one representing a previously unknown species. But not everything in this deep-sea necropolis is dead.
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