This is the backbone of a whale skeleton
             found at the bottom of the
Ocean (Credit: UK Natural Environment Research Council ChEsSo Consortium)

Marine biologists recently found a whale skeleton on the bottom of the ocean in Antarctica. On it, they found nine new deep sea species. The team of marine biologists found the whale skeleton about a mile under water in an undersea crater. This is significant because before this discovery scientists had only found five natural whale skeletons at the bottom of the ocean. Most dead whales are found floating at the top of the ocean. This whale skeleton seemed to be supporting a whole variety of animals. After a whale dies it sometimes sinks to the bottom of the ocean where scavengers such as shrimp and crabs eat the flesh. Once just the bones are left new animals and bacteria start to make their home on the whale skeleton. Bacteria’s began to break down the fats that are still stored in the whale bones. These broken down fats prneude food for other animals. Zombie worms are a type of animal that is also known to eat the bones of the whale. Researchers believe that this whale has been at the bottom of the ocean for decades because of how many different animals and bacteria they found on its bones. The researchers found a new species of isopod crustacean, which are like wood lice, and limpets that resembled the ones living near deep sea volcanoes.