Editing Whale (section)

===Whale fall===
{{Main|Whale fall}}
Upon death, whale carcasses fall to the deep ocean and provide a substantial habitat for marine life. Evidence of whale falls in present-day and fossil records shows that deep sea whale falls support a rich assemblage of creatures, with a global diversity of 407 species, comparable to other [[neritic]] biodiversity hotspots, such as [[cold seep]]s and [[hydrothermal vent]]s.{{sfn|Smith|Baco|2003}}

Deterioration of whale carcasses happens through a series of three stages. Initially, moving organisms such as [[shark]]s and [[hagfish]], scavenge the soft tissues at a rapid rate over a period of months, and as long as two years. This is followed by the colonization of bones and surrounding sediments (which contain organic matter) by enrichment opportunists, such as [[crustaceans]] and [[polychaetes]], throughout a period of years. Finally, sulfophilic bacteria reduce the bones releasing [[hydrogen sulfide]] enabling the growth of [[chemoautotrophic]] organisms, which in turn, support other organisms such as mussels, clams, limpets, and sea snails. This stage may last for decades and supports a rich assemblage of species, averaging 185 species per site.{{sfn|Smith|Baco|2003}}{{sfn|Fujiwara et al.|2007}}