Scientists have unearthed communities of marine life — including jellyfish, tubeworms and brittle stars — thriving on a millions-year-old whale graveyard. These graveyards form when whale carcasses fall to the sea floor,

Located up to 23,000 feet below the surface of the southeastern Indian Ocean, the site spans the largest area and is so far the deepest and oldest found.

An enormous whale graveyard around 1,200km (745 miles) long has been discovered in the south-eastern Indian Ocean. The site, which is 7km (four miles) deep, has been found in the Diamantina fracture zone,

The researchers saw many strange animals — many believed to be new to science — living off the whale carcasses.

Beaked and baleen whale skulls and fossils support communities of brittle stars, saltwater clams, and other creatures in unique underwater neighborhoods formed by whale carcasses.

The researchers saw many strange animals — many believed to be new to science — living off the whale carcasses.

When a whale dies, a very special natural phenomenon can come alive. The carcass might float at the surface for some time, attracting sharks and other predators. As it becomes weathered it may start to sink,

Scientists have unearthed communities of marine life — including jellyfish, tubeworms and brittle stars — thriving on a whale graveyard that is millions of years old. These graveyards form when whale carcasses fall to the sea floor,