Scientists Find 485 Whale Falls in 1,200-Km Indian Ocean Graveyard as Bones Date Back 5.3 Million Years
Updated
Updated · ScienceAlert · Jun 10
Scientists Find 485 Whale Falls in 1,200-Km Indian Ocean Graveyard as Bones Date Back 5.3 Million Years
3 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · Jun 10
Summary
485 whale-fall sites were recorded along a 1,200-kilometer stretch of the Diamantina Fracture Zone, including 476 fossil whales and five active ecosystems at depths reaching 7,002 meters.
32 dives by the crewed submersible Fendouzhe in 2023 uncovered the remains, with the oldest recovered skull dated to 5.26 million years, making the site the biggest, deepest and oldest whale graveyard yet found.
Dense beaked-whale skull bones appear to have survived long enough to be coated by ferromanganese oxides, helping preserve the fossils; the trench's V-shaped topography may also funnel carcasses into the chasm.
Five active whale falls hosted microbial mats, Osedax worms, brittle stars and bivalves, showing whale-fall ecosystems can persist far deeper than previously known.
The Nature study says the site could serve as a growing fossil archive for tracing cetacean evolution, with researchers already identifying at least one previously unknown extinct species.
What secrets of evolution and past climates are locked in this 5-million-year-old deep-sea whale graveyard?
Could this deep ocean 'necropolis' hold the key to how life survives in a future low-oxygen world?
Unveiling the Diamantina Whale Necropolis: The World’s Largest Deep-Sea Whale Fossil Site and Its Impact on Ocean Science
Overview
On June 10, 2026, scientists announced the discovery of a vast whale necropolis deep in the ocean, captivating both researchers and the public. This site contains numerous whale fossils found at depths over four miles below the surface—nearly twice as deep as any previously known whale fall. The extreme pressure and harsh conditions at these depths make the preservation and discovery of such remains a remarkable scientific achievement. Experts have called the find truly extraordinary, as it offers a monumental leap in understanding deep-sea ecosystems and the evolutionary history of marine life.