Deception Island, Antarctica Peninsula. Antarctic whaling began on a large scale in 1904. A number of shore-based stations were in operation under some kind of regulation on the catches very shortly after this, among them the station of the Norwegian Hektor Company on Deception Island, which was active 1911-1931. Hektor whaling station was abandoned in April 1931, when whale oil prices slumped. Unep. Photo source: ©© Benjamin Dumas
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For the first time ever, scientists say they have discovered a whale skeleton on the ocean floor near Antarctica. Resting nearly a mile below the surface, the boneyard is teeming with strange life, including at least nine new species of tiny of deep-sea creatures, according to a new study.
Though whales naturally sink to the ocean floor when they die, it’s extremely rare for scientists to come across these final resting places, known as “whale falls.”
