Whales do not breathe automatically. Every surface and every breath is a conscious decision. When age or illness leaves them too weak to swim up, they drown.
At first, gases from decomposition keep the body afloat. Sharks and seabirds take their share. Then the carcass sinks into the crushing blackness of the abyss. Thousands of feet down on the barren ocean floor, it becomes a whale fall. This single arrival of flesh and bone immediately transforms an underwater desert into a thriving oasis. For the next fifty years, specialized scavengers, zombie worms, and deep-sea bacteria will feed entirely on the remains. Even in completely drowning, they carry massive amounts of life with them.
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