Whale FallAimee Childress

Whale Fall- Term used for a whale carcass that sinks to the ocean floor.

1987, oceanographer Craig Smith discovered the first whale fall in California.

Carcass can remain as an energy source on the sea floor for decades.

Whale Falls pass through three decomposition stages.

Mobile Scavenger

Consumption can take several months up to a two-year period.

They can consume the flesh at a rate of 40–60 kilograms (88–130 lb) per day.

Scavengers such as Hagfish and Sleeper sharks consume the flesh of the whale.

Enrichment Opportunists

During this period species of clams, worms, and other vertebrates can be found on the bones.

May last up to two years.

Bits of whale tissue spread around the carcass provides nutrition for the worms and crustaceans.

Sulfophilic

Bacteria anaerobically break down the lipids embedded in the bones.

Longest stage that may take up to ten years.

Called the sulfophilic stage because of the abundance of species thriving off the sulfide produced by whale bones.

Scientists now estimate that a whale-fall community can survive for up to a century by sucking the fats and sulphides from the bones.

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