When a whale falls, all things are born, why is it said that whale falling is the most romantic rebirth? what kind of process is it
> > Have you ever heard of "whale fall"? "One whale falls and all things live" is not only the gentlest fall in the world, but also the most beautiful and romantic rebirth. Even at the end of your life, you will try your best to jump out of the sea, and finally drop your tail fin and slowly sink to the bottom of the sea. To give the sea one last hug. The process of a whale falling to the bottom of the sea after death is called whale fall, but do you know where the whale will go after it dies? >
First of all, let’s understand whales. Whales are group animals that live in vast oceans. They can be seen in the seas near the Antarctic or the Arctic Ocean, or in the equatorial waters and coastal sea areas. The whales are huge. , the heaviest is about 170 tons, whether it is human beings or creatures in the ocean, they are all in awe of such giants. It is said that whales have a special ability to predict their own death in advance. When they are on the verge of death, the whale will take the initiative to leave the population and come to a strange sea area alone, waiting for the arrival of death. With the end of the last breath, the huge whale The body will slowly sink to the bottom of the sea, which is the beginning of the natural whale fall.
In 1977, an American submarine discovered a whale wreck for the first time, and it was also the first time humans discovered a whale wreck on the seabed below a kilometer. In April 2020, China discovered a whale fall for the first time at a depth of 1,600 meters in the South China Sea. It can be said to be a witness to history. However, although many people have heard of whale fall, they don’t know much about the specific process of whale fall. So what exactly is whale fall? And why is it called the most romantic rebirth? Let's look down.
do you know? The whole process of whale fall can be as short as a few years or as long as hundreds of years. A whale carcass can support at least tens of thousands of organisms, which is equivalent to providing a small ecosystem for the ocean, which is really amazing. Whale fall is generally divided into 4 stages, and each stage has a different "mission". The first stage is called the mobile scavenger stage. Some large creatures in the ocean will eat about 90% of the soft tissue of the whale. This process generally lasts for 4-24 months.
The second stage is the opportunist stage. Some relatively small marine organisms, such as worms, seahorses and other small crustaceans, will "settle" around the whale wreck. This process generally lasts for 3-4 years. .
The third stage is the chemoautotrophic stage. A large number of anaerobic bacteria will drill into the bones of whales, decompose the fat and bone oil in the bones, and at the same time produce a chemical substance "hydrogen sulfide", although for most organisms , which is highly toxic but is the source of the chemoautotrophic bacteria's ability, miraculously, these bacteria proliferate around the whale wreck, which in turn feeds a large population of smaller marine organisms, a process that lasts The longest stage generally lasts for decades or even hundreds of years.
The last stage is the reef stage. At this time, all the energy in the whale wreck is exhausted, and the bones will slowly turn into seabed reefs and become the "home" of small marine life. There is a saying: Whales are born in the sea and belong to the sea. The sea is longer than the sea and hidden in the sea. The whole process of whale falls is the best interpretation, but not all whales can form whale falls after death. It is understood that the number of whale falls observed in the world is currently less than 50. , why is this? Let's look down.
do you know? Although whales are the overlords in the ocean, their reproductive capacity is very poor. It takes an average of two years to give birth to a baby whale. In addition to the serious environmental pollution and mass hunting by humans, the number of whales has been greatly reduced. I want to see Whale fall is not easy. Although many countries have listed whales as protected animals, many species are still endangered. The most important thing is that not all whales can form whale falls after death. In some areas, whales collectively avoid human hunting Stranded, this increases the safety hazard to the human beings living along the coast.
Stranded whales are huge in size. After death, the microorganisms in the body grow, and a large amount of gas will be formed during the decomposition process. After a period of time, the belly of the whale is like a bulging balloon. To a certain extent, the gas will burst the whale's skin, forming a "whale explosion". During the whale explosion, the internal organs of the whale are mixed with a large number of microorganisms and toxic substances, which are sprayed to a distant place, known as "the largest biochemical weapon in nature".
Any human or other animal that comes close will suffer from the fish in the pond, ranging from being bounced away, to severely injured muscles and bones, endangering life. If the process of whale falling is the last tenderness left to nature, then whale explosion is completely the opposite. It seems that protecting animals and protecting the environment is imperative. At the end of the video, I would like to ask everyone a small question. Do you think the process of whale fall is a causal cycle, or is it the final gift of the whale to nature? Welcome to leave a message and share in the comment area below, see you in the next issue!