To many, death is a dreaded event and one that evokes feelings of sadness and grief. However, in some cases, death can bring about a magnitude of life and contribute to the diverse world we live in. At least this is what we see with the death of a whale.
We tend to only think of whale deaths as a news stories of a giant whales washed up onto a beach, but what happens to the whales that don’t make their way to the shore? Recently, this question has been explored and even though we still don’t know everything about what happens to whales when they pass away, we now have a better idea of the fate of the beautiful creature.
According to this article, when whales die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean and provide plentiful amounts of food to organisms of the deep ocean for possibly up to a century! Within the first few weeks after the whale has reached the ocean floor, crabs and sharks begin to feast on the meat of the whale. In the next few months, a bio-film of bacteria and microorganisms begin to coat the whale, providing another large bout of food for snails and worms. With nearly nothing left but bones, certain bacteria begin to flock to the skeleton for years after the whales death. Finally, the nutrient rich particles left of the whale seep into the soil, creating an environment where clams are able to thrive.
Although death is a sad concept, the death of a whale brings with it a new wave of life and helps to make the ocean the thriving, diverse ecosystem that it is.
Posted by Jamie Downer (4)
Wow this is so cool to think about! I have never thought about what happens to whales after their death. With whales being such large organisms they must provide copious amounts of nutrients and food to organisms after they pass. Life on the bottom of the ocean where the whale lays after death must flourish with life! Do you know if anyone has tracked the decomposition and which organism feed off the whale with a camera?
ReplyDeletePosted by: Katarzyna Mosio
I never thought about that topic before! I don't know why i thought whales lives for a long time and only die after an attack by another whale. Thank you for bringing that up. I went on a whale watching boat and i could imagine the nutrients that can come from this whale after its death, it's huge. I think by dying, whale not just provide nutrients but also there will be less consumption of other large fish that whales eat, so more and more marine life. Do you have an idea about how long whales live for?
ReplyDeletePosted by Jad Imad
That whale watching trip must have been awesome! As for how long whales live, I found this website: https://www.whalefacts.org/how-long-do-whales-live/
DeleteIt looks like there is a lot of variation between species but some can live to be over 100!
Posted by Jamie Downer
These types of studies always fascinate me.I don't know much of anything about the tools or methods used to study these processes in deep regions of the ocean. How are researchers able to do this and continuously monitor what's happening over time? I'm sure there's a lot more going on down below than what we currently know and I can't wait until technology progresses to the point where we can explore this mysterious area of the Earth without such extreme consequences.
ReplyDelete-Matt Murdoch
This is a great point! I have never thought about how many organisms a whale's body could provide for, but with such a wide array of animals, plants and bacteria it makes sense that a whale's decomposing body can surely be used in many diverse and unique ways. I would be interested in seeing how long organisms in the ocean can continue to feed on the whale. Will the whale's body be able to provide for those that feed off it for several weeks, months, etc?
ReplyDeletePosted by Alexandra Rios
According to the article, nutrients sourced from the whale can by utilized for up to a century. As for direct feeding, it seems that certain organisms can snack on it for years. It certainly is a long term food source!
DeletePosted by Jamie Downer
How interesting! Not too long ago I learned that when whales die, even before they sink to the bottom of the ocean, sharks will have already started feasting! Although it seems whales wash up on our coastlines relatively frequently, I would assume the majority of deceased whales sink to the bottom of the ocean. I wonder, has there been an increase in whale deaths in recent years? If yes, do you believe this increase is ultimately beneficial for the ecosystem, or detrimental because of the declining whale population?
ReplyDeletePosted by: Hayley Fecko
When I first read your post, I thought you were going to talk about how dead whales wash ashore and they are filled with trash and plastic, but it's pretty interesting to know how some of the whales end up going. What do you think happens to the trash and plastic inside the whales when they sink to the bottom of the ocean? Do you think the other organisms try to consume that along with the whale itself?
ReplyDelete-Han Nguyen
Thanks for your comment! While I am not entirely positive, I would imagine that the trash still ends up in the ocean. While it probably isn't likely that the organisms try to consume the waste, it may cause damage to them and their environment.
DeletePosted by Jamie Downer