The benefits are endless from whale carcasses

All generations of crabs, insects and creatures in the deep sea can survive every year thanks to the decaying body of a whale.

Whale carcasses are a rich source of food for the seabed community. (Photo: internet)

When a whale dies and sinks deep into the ocean floor, its body is a plentiful source of food for many generations of deep-sea creatures, including crabs, insects that eat bones and snails, according to the discovery. of Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Through it, people can learn many things about the evolution of living things in the deep and deep sea.

When immersing whale carcasses in the sea, placing them in the deep sea and returning to observe every year, experts have discovered all the developmental communities that flourish on the body of the fish.

Specifically, scientists have placed 5 whale carcasses at Monterey Canal in California (USA). When they return here every year, they discover many new species of creatures, including more than a dozen species of insects as well as skeletal snails.

Accordingly, it seems that these small creatures work more efficiently than imagined, as they quickly turn bones into dust.

" Initial research suggests that these skeletons can maintain their shape for 50 to 100 years ," said Lonny Lundsten of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

This means that the skeleton of adult whales is thought to be able to survive long enough to act as artificial reefs, which are necessary for the growth and development of organisms that need one. Harder surface instead of soft and sticky sea shelf.

However, the whale carcasses studied by Lundsteen and colleagues almost disappeared within 5 to 7 years, according to a report from Deep Sea Research .

" What we see is that the stage of fish carcasses turning into artificial reefs doesn't happen in reality, " Lundsten said.

Another surprise is that many creatures that rely on whale relics are not ' experts ' who specialize in treating whales, such as bone-eating insects and snails. Instead, they are just ordinary scavengers, residing in the deep sea and waiting for the 'fortune' to fall from the surface of the sea.

" What we found is that most organisms belong to the background creature of the Monterey Canal ," said Lundsten, the whale carcass that brought them together, sharing abundant food.

Besides, scientists found the new, unique bone-eating insects of the Osedax family, wherever there are whale carcasses in the world. These insects are known for their ability to mobilize a symbiotic bacterium to help them break down bones more easily.

American experts also discovered a new snail species that participated in the deep sea fishing. However, they still cannot explain why this organism can digest bone.

The story of Osedax and snail locating as well as handling whale carcasses everywhere remains a secret, says Craig Smith of the University of Hawaii. He is a researcher of whale carcasses along the coast along California state and elsewhere.