The death of old whales brings countless benefits to oceans and ecosystems

Since human society has boomed, marine species have suffered many consequences from our exploitation actions. In particular, whales and dolphins are among the most affected species.

How many times have you seen the news about the scene of dolphins dying in the series? How many times have you seen a whale starving to death because it swallowed dozens of kilograms of plastic waste into your abdomen? How many times have you seen a flock of killer whales stranded because you can't locate the sound waves from human ships? Really a lot, can not tell all by words.

Perhaps you do not know, a whale in the wild can have a lifespan of up to 70-80 years (depending on species). The existence of human beings - strong "predators" - has caused whales to die too early, even pushing many species to the brink of extinction.

The existence of humans - too strong "hunters" - has caused whales to die too early.

But suppose like a whale can safely live to the end of its natural life, how do you think the story will take place?

That will be a very tragic death .

Whales ashore often die from external factors: injury, starvation, disorientation. But there are old whales, their stories are not the same.

Whales are animals that have the appearance of fish, but are actually classified into animals. They give birth to babies, feed their babies with milk, and even have nipples to breastfeed. But most importantly, they breathe through the lungs - meaning that after a period of swimming, they are forced to rise to the sea surface to recharge their oxygen before continuing their journey. The same is true for dolphins.

Whales ashore often die from external factors: injury, starvation, disorientation.

When a new baby whale was born, the mother had to support bringing it to the sea to get oxygen, covering the child for weeks, then raising her baby with milk for a year after that. This is also the reason why each whale breeds only one child. If it is a twin fetus, one of them is difficult to survive because the mother cannot take care of both, nor can they afford them.

In short, whales need to climb up to the sea surface to get oxygen, and when they are born, they will help their mothers breathe. But with the old whales, they may fall into too weak a situation to continue swimming. No one can help, because an adult whale - like a blue whale, for example - can weigh hundreds of tons.

When the time comes, the "fish" cannot be forced to sink to the cold, dark ocean, then suffocate there. A death is clearly not considered gentle.

However.

That is the origin of a new life

The story above is a phenomenon scientifically recognized as "Whale Fall" , meaning the whale's body sinks to the ocean floor at a depth of more than 1000m.

A corpse lies at the bottom of the sea, it will become a huge giant banquet for many other marine species.

A corpse lies at the bottom of the sea, it will obviously become a giant giant banquet for many other marine species. However, scientists say what happens after that is really worthy of respect, because the body does a lot of things for the ecosystem.

In 1998, experts from the University of Hawaii discovered at least 12,490 individuals from 43 animals that lived on a whale carcass in the North Pacific seabed. The problem is that many species such as clam, seaworm, shrimp . are not simply eating the rotting flesh of the fish. In contrast, they feed themselves by synthesizing chemicals through a process called chemoautotrophic . And to do this, they need chemicals from whale carcasses.

Several other studies also show that the whale skeleton will become an excellent ecosystem for bacteria. Whale bones contain up to 60% of the fat content, so bacteria make hydrogen sulfide gas, which then turns into energy to help them thrive.

It is possible to separate the whale's "life" process as follows:

1. First , the fish species will come to corrode, carrying 90% of the flesh of the whale carcass.
2. After a few months , seaworms and crustaceans will appear, solving the leftover meat and settling in the remains.
3. Finally, the phase of releasing sulfide from bacteria, transformed into energy and lasts for decades to come.

Decomposition process of a whale carcass.

Even people benefit from this process. Thanks to marine fish remains, science has found at least 16 new species of seaworms, such as Osedax frankpressi and Osedax rubiplumus on a body in the Atlantic Ocean.

So, a whale that lives its life can contribute greatly to creating a larger ecosystem. The whale's natural death can be painful, but certainly cannot compare to what humans have treated them today.