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Ancient bone-eating worms ate mosasaur, ichthyosaur and plesiosaur skeletons



When large marine animals like whales die, they sink down to the seabed. Once their flesh has been stripped away by scavengers and microbes, their corpses are colonized by a variety of specialized invertebrates that feast on the fats and proteins locked inside their skeletons.



Summary

When whales die and sink to the ocean floor, their carcasses create unique ecosystems called whale falls. Scavengers and microbes first consume the soft tissues. Afterward, specialized invertebrates colonize the bones, feeding on the remaining fats and proteins. This process sustains a diverse community of organisms for years, transforming the whale skeleton into a rich habitat and contributing significantly to deep-sea biodiversity.

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