5.3M-year-old whale necropolis discovered in deep sea

Researchers have uncovered a vast whale necropolis in the Diamantina Zone of the southeastern Indian Ocean, spanning 1,200 km along the seabed at depths between 4,616 and 7,001 meters. The site includes 476 fossil cetaceans and five modern whale-fall communities, with carcasses hosting specialized ecosystems dominated by brittle stars, bone-boring worms, and chemosynthesis-based bivalves. The fossil record in this area spans at least 5.3 million years, providing new insights into the evolutionary history of cetaceans and the biogeography of whale-fall ecosystems.