In brief
A remarkable 1,200‑km long whale graveyard was discovered in the south‑eastern Indian Ocean, extending 7 km beneath the sea surface. Researchers from China, Italy, and New Zealand found fossilized remains that span up to 5.3 million years, including a beaked whale skeleton and a new species, Pterocetus diamantinae. The site teems with unique cretaceous communities of jellyfish, worms, and crustaceans, suggesting rich biodiversity around ancient carcasses. The discovery, published in Nature, ignites excitement and promises further submersible exploration of similar deep‑sea necropolises.
An 1,200‑km long whale graveyard – the largest ever uncovered – lies 7 km beneath the south‑eastern Indian Ocean’s sea surface in the Diamantina fracture zone. It was identified through deep‑sea dives by a multinational team of scientists from China, Italy and New Zealand.
The geological record shows that the carcasses date back as far as 5.3 million years, making them extraordinarily rare fossil sites. Among the discoveries are a fossilised beaked whale, the Antarctic minke whale – the largest specimen found – and a new species, Pterocetus diamantinae, named after the discovery site.
Beyond the fossilized whales, the necropolis supports a diverse community of jellyfish, worms and crustaceans that thrive on the spread of carcasses. Researchers noted that the biodiversity intensity and range of the site are “far beyond anything we had imagined”.
The findings were published in the journal Nature and have sparked excitement within the global marine science community. Experts anticipate that the site will yield additional astonishing discoveries and encourage more submersible expeditions into similarly extreme underwater environments.
