Scientists Unearth Five‑Million‑Year‑Old Whale Graveyard in the Indian Ocean

A team of scientists from China, Italy and New Zealand has uncovered an enormous whale graveyard stretching roughly 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) along the southeastern Indian Ocean floor.

The site, located in the Diamantina fracture zone, lies 7 kilometres (4 miles) beneath the surface and contains more than 485 whale‑fossil sites, as well as active whale falls that are supporting a thriving ecosystem.

The age of the remains—some dating back 5.3 million years—makes this the oldest and most extensive collection of whale fossils ever found, signaling a previously hidden deep‑sea environment that may hold new species.

During 32 dives, researchers collected samples, discovering an extinct beaked whale skeleton and a new species, Pterocetus diamantinae, named after the site. The largest carcass seized was a five‑metre Antarctic minke whale.

In addition to fossils, the graveyard hosts active whale falls that support jellyfish, worms and crustaceans—living a mystery community that might include species never before recorded.

"Peng and colleagues’ encounter with this vast fossil graveyard is a truly unique discovery," noted marine biologist Stephen J. Godfrey in the journal Nature, adding that the site will likely inspire more submersible dives and future breakthroughs in marine science.