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Article:TheProlificAfterlife Author:CrispinT.S.

Little MajorIdeas: In1987anexpeditiongroupdiscoveredanobject1,240metersdeepintheocean Founda20meterwhaleskeleton thewhalewaseitherablueorfinwhale theyhavediscovereddozensofcommunitiessupportedbywhaleskeletons thereareabout400differentspeciesthatlivearoundit thefirsthintthatwhaleskeletonscanhostanimalcommunitieswasasearlyas1854 theythoughtthattheskeletonsservedassteppingstonesfordeepseaanimalsto spreadfromonechemosynthetic theytookdeadwhalesthatwashedtotheshoreasanexperimentbydroppingthemdeep intheocean inordertodothistheyadded2,700kilogramsofsteelballasttocounteractthebuoyancy ofdecompositiongases theydroppedthreewhalesandvisitedregularlyuntilthe2000 itwasestimatedthat69,000whalesdieeveryyear

Summary: In1987theydiscoveredwhalecarcasses1,240metersdeepintheocean.They discoveredthatanimalcommunitieshavelivedthere.Itwasalsodiscoveredthatthereare400 differentspeciesofanimals.Theyfirsthadthisideathisideain1854whentheydiscovered whaleskeletondeepintheocean.Inordertodoanexperimentofthisscientistdroppeddead whalesinthebottomoftheoceanwithsteelballasttomakeiteasiertogodown.Theychecked thewhalesregularlytoseethechange Mythoughts: Ithinkthatthefactthatdeadwhalesserveasacommunityforfishisprettycool.Nowi knowthatwhalesactuallyhaveabigpartintheecosystemoftheocean

Sowhat? Whaleskeletonshelpanimalsbuilda communityintheocean

SaysWho? CrispinT.S.Little

WhatIf? Whatdoesthisremindmeof? Ifinthefuturetherearemoreskeletonsinthe Thisremindsmeofanotherarticlewereadin oceantherewillbecommunitiesforfishto class livein

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