A group of deep-sea scavengers were spotted feasting on the remains of a whale by ocean researchers who looked on as the fish, octopods, and marine worms picked the huge carcass clean.
The Nautilus Live team filmed their macabre encounter during a livestream of their underwater explorations off the coast of California, and crew members can be heard gasping in awe at the exciting scene rarely caught on camera.
WHALEY BIG FIND! We're still documenting the baleen whale skeleton we discovered with @MBNMS at Davidson Seamount off central CA's coast. Scavenging fish and octopus strip blubber while bone-eating Osedax worms dissolve bones onsite.
Close-up shots show octopuses clamped on to the skeletal remains of the giant mammal, identified by the marine experts as a baleen whale. Osedax, or ‘bone-eating’, worms are also hard at work living up to their name, boring into the last remnants of the whale.
Miss our overWHALEming discovery today? We found a baleen whale skeleton being actively scavenged at Davidson Seamount with @MBNMS. Rewind up to 12hours on https://t.co/Ajj54YYX2Q & we’ll post our full dive video soon.
WHALEFALL! The Nautilus team just discovered a whale skeleton on the seafloor covered in bone-eating worms, cusk eels, and octopus devouring this massive deep sea meal. Watch #NautilusLive as our science team gathers more data at Davidson Seamount @MBNMS: https://t.co/Ajj54YYX2Qpic.twitter.com/Jq9koQzvPh
There are about 15 known species of baleen whales swimming in the world’s oceans, with some growing as long as 31 meters (102 feet) and weighing up to 190 tons.
