Chinese Scientists Discover Extensive Whale Graveyard in Indian Ocean, Offering New Insights into Marine Ecosystems
An international team led by scientists from the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has discovered a vast underwater whale graveyard in the Diamantina region of the southeastern Indian Ocean. The discovery, made at a depth of nearly 6,800 meters, includes 476 cetacean fossils and five active whale-fall ecosystems spread across approximately 1,200 kilometers of the seabed. Scientists estimate that over 10 million whale remains have accumulated in this region over at least 5.3 million years. The researchers identified the deepest active whale fall ever recorded, at a depth of 6,789 meters, extending the known depth limit for such ecosystems by more than 2,500 meters. The team also discovered fossils of beaked whales, including a newly identified extinct species named Pterocetus diamantinae. 
