Эрдэмтэд Энэтхэгийн далайн ёроолоос олон сая жилийн настай, халимны олон зуун яснаас бүрдсэн дэлхийн хамгийн том оршуулгын газрыг олжээ.
Хятадын судлаачид 2023 онд хийсэн хэд хэдэн экспедицийн үеэр “Fendouzhe” шумбагч аппаратыг ашиглан Австралийн баруун хэсэгт орших Диамантина бүсээс уг олдворыг илрүүлжээ. Нийт 32 удаагийн шумбалтаар 7,000 метрийн гүнд хийсэн судалгаагаар 1,200 километр үргэлжлэх зурвасаас 485 халимны чулуужсан яс болон үлдэгдлийг бүртгэн авсан байна. Эдгээр олдворын зарим нь 5.3 сая жилийн настай бөгөөд тэдгээрийн дунд өмнө нь бүртгэгдээгүй халимны зүйл ч олджээ.
Судалгааны багийн ахлагч Сяотун Пэн уг олдворын цар хүрээ, гүн болон насжилт нь тэдний төсөөлж байснаас хол давсан болохыг онцлов. Тус бүс нутаг нь газарзүйн бүтцийн хувьд халимны сэг зэмийг далайн ёроол руу цуглуулдаг “V” хэлбэрийн хотгор бүхий байгалийн цэг болсон байх магадлалтай аж. Судлаачид тус бүсэд нийт 10 сая гаруй халимны үлдэгдэл байж болзошгүй гэж таамаглаж байгаа нь ойролцоогоор 6.7 сая тонн нүүрстөрөгчийг хадгалж буй хэрэг юм.
Халимны сэг зэм нь далайн гүний экосистемд чухал үүрэг гүйцэтгэдэг бөгөөд эрдэмтэд үлдэгдлүүдийн эргэн тойронд медуз, одот загас, яс өрөмдөгч өт зэрэг олон төрлийн амьтдыг ажиглажээ. Эдгээр амьтдын зарим нь шинжлэх ухаанд шинээр нээгдсэн байж болзошгүй юм. Энэхүү нээлт нь халимны үлдэгдэл нь далайн гүний хүхрээс хамааралтай амьтдын хувьд хувьслын голомт болдог гэх таамаглалыг баталгаажуулж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Scientists have uncovered the largest known whale graveyard on Earth at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. The site, which contains hundreds of whale skeletons dating back millions of years, is also home to rich deep-sea ecosystems that survive on the remains of the giant mammals.
The discovery was made by Chinese researchers using the crewed submersible Fendouzhe during a series of expeditions in 2023. Their findings, published in Nature, reveal an extraordinary concentration of whale fossils and carcasses spread across a vast area west of Australia.
What makes the site stand out is not only its size. Some of the fossils are around 5.3 million years old, and researchers found a wide variety of animals living around the remains. They also identified a previously unknown extinct whale species among the hundreds of skeletons documented.
An Unexpected Discovery Stretching For 1,200 Kilometers
The whale graveyard was found in the Diamantina Zone, a remote region of the Indian Ocean west of Australia. During 32 dives, the Fendouzhe submersible explored depths of up to 7,000 meters and collected samples using robotic arms.
Researchers report in Nature that they catalogued 485 whale fossils and whale falls along a corridor roughly 1,200 kilometers long. Most of the remains belonged to different species of beaked whales.
The scale of the discovery came as a surprise to the team. Lead author Xiaotong Peng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences told AFP that the researchers were “astonished” when they realized what they had found.
“But discovering a necropolis of this scale was completely unexpected,” Peng said. “The size of distribution, the depth and the age range were far beyond anything we had imagined.”
Among the fossils, the team identified a previously unknown extinct whale species.
An Ecosystem Built on Whale Remains
Far from being lifeless, the graveyard supports a remarkable variety of marine life. Whale falls are known to provide food for deep-sea creatures, but researchers had never documented anything on this scale.
AFP reports that the scientists observed jellyfish, brittle stars, bone-boring worms and bivalves living on and around the carcasses. Some of the animals seen during the dives are believed to be new to science. Study co-author Peng Zhou described the experience as unforgettable.
“The vibrant ecosystems we saw offered a completely different perspective on this otherwise dark and cold ocean floor,” he said.
The research team also noted that some of the species found around the whale remains are commonly associated with hydrothermal vents and cold seeps.
As noted in the paper, the findings strengthen the hypothesis that whale falls can act as evolutionary hotspots for sulfide-dependent species in the deep ocean.
Millions of Whale Remains May Still Be Hidden
Scientists believe the area may have become a natural collection point for whale carcasses. The region is considered an important feeding ground for whales, and a V-shaped trench appears to funnel dead animals toward the seafloor.
The study’s authors estimate that more than 10 million whale carcasses could be scattered across the wider Diamantina Zone based on the density of remains documented during the expedition. Xiaotong Peng said the soft tissue and lipids associated with that number of carcasses would represent about 6.7 million tonnes of sequestered carbon.
The discovery has impressed researchers beyond the project itself. Craig Smith, the University of Hawaii oceanographer who discovered the first whale fall in 1987, told AFP that the sheer number of fossil whale falls documented in the study was “truly amazing.”
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