What happens when a whale dies and sinks to the ocean floor?

The answer

When a large whale dies and sinks to the deep ocean floor, an event called a whale fall, it creates a localized ecosystem that can persist for decades. The process unfolds in stages: first, mobile scavengers like hagfish and sleeper sharks consume the soft tissue over months. Then, opportunistic species like polychaete worms colonize the bones for years. Finally, chemosynthetic bacteria break down the lipid-rich skeleton, producing hydrogen sulfide that supports sulfophilic organisms similar to those at hydrothermal vents. A single whale fall can support over 400 species, some of which are found nowhere else on Earth.