Scientists discover world's largest 'whale graveyard' hidden 7km beneath the Indian Ocean

Scientists have uncovered what may be the largest, deepest and oldest whale graveyard ever discovered. The graveyard, as per newly published research, lies hidden more than seven kilometres beneath the surface of the south-eastern Indian Ocean. What's more remarkable about the find is that it includes hundreds of whale fossils dating back over five million years. Scientists also found modern whale carcasses that they said continue to support thriving deep-sea ecosystems in one of the most extreme environments on Earth.

Where is the whale graveyard?

The discovery was made in the Diamantina Fracture Zone, a vast network of trenches and ridges formed tens of millions of years ago as Australia and Antarctica drifted apart. Using a deep-sea submersible, an international team of researchers from China, Italy and New Zealand explored the region and documented an astonishing concentration of whale remains scattered across the ocean floor.

Whale falls, the remains of whales that sink to the seabed after death, are known to create temporary ecosystems that sustain a wide range of marine life. Most previously documented whale falls have been found at depths shallower than 4,000 metres. The newly discovered site extends to depths of more than 7,000 metres, making it the deepest whale-fall ecosystem ever recorded.

Researchers identified 485 fossil whale sites and five modern whale falls in advanced stages of decomposition. The remains were spread across a 1,200-kilometre corridor, leading scientists to describe the area as a previously unrecognised "whale-fall community supercorridor."

Extinct whales found

Among the discoveries were fossils from extinct whale species, including a 5.3-million-year-old skull belonging to the beaked whale species Pterocetus benguelae. The team also identified a previously unknown species, which they named Pterocetus diamantinae.

The modern whale carcasses were far from lifeless, suggests the research published in Nature. Researchers found them supporting dense communities of organisms including crustaceans, molluscs, brittle stars and bone-eating worms. Many of these species may be entirely new to science.

Why it matters

Scientists say the discovery highlights how little is known about life in the deep ocean. The extreme conditions of the site, where sunlight never penetrates, and water pressure reaches crushing levels, were once thought to limit biodiversity. Instead, the findings suggest these remote habitats may host complex ecosystems that have remained hidden for millions of years.