Life Inside a Dead Whale

What is a "whale fall"?

• A whale that swims to the bottom of the ocean.

• A whale that gets stuck on a beach.

• A whale that dies in the open ocean and sinks to at least 1,000 meters down.

• A whale that jumps out of the water.

Which animals are among the first scavengers to arrive at a whale fall?

• Crabs and lobsters

• Sleeper sharks, hagfish, and amphipods

• Polychaete worms and snails

• Fish and plankton

In Stage 3 of a whale fall, what do bacteria feed on, and what gas do they produce?

• Flesh, producing oxygen.

• Lipids (fats and oils), producing hydrogen sulfide gas.

• Bones, producing methane gas.

• Sediment, producing carbon dioxide.

What kind of adaptations do life forms in deep-sea environments like whale falls need to survive?

• Ability to withstand high temperatures and strong currents.

• Ability to survive without oxygen or sunlight and in toxic chemicals.

• Ability to camouflage themselves from predators.

• Ability to migrate to warmer waters during winter.