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Beautiful Whale Fall Posters Now Available

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries produced two posters about a whale fall discovered near Davidson Seamount in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in October 2018.

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, working with Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) staff, developed two beautifully detailed posters about the evolution of and creatures commonly found at a whale fall. These posters were inspired by the Minke whale fall discovered at a depth of 3,200 meters near Davidson Seamount by MBNMS and Ocean Exploration Trust in October 2018 and revisited in October 2019.

These posters (which can be downloaded for free) and a short video are available in the Earth is Blue digital Magazine.

When a whale dies at sea, its body often sinks to the seafloor. There, its carcass becomes what is known as a whale fall. The whale’s body provides a sudden, concentrated food source — a bonanza for organisms in the deep sea for years to come.