Whale fall

Jeffrey Marlow writes about the strange marine ecosystems that grew around a whale fall, in the Pacific Ocean, known as Rosebud.

whale fall

I need your help, please! 🐳 I've been working on the whale fall shirt, and I need your help picking the shirt colour. I'm torn between navy blue or black. Black is always a good choice, but the blue works with the design so nicely. Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments! (Yes, I had this in my stories a little while ago, but the photos were garbage and didn't show the colours well.) #artmerch #Vancouverislandartist #artistsupport #teeshirtart #whaleart #whales #whalefa...

A whale fall occurs when the carcass of a whale has fallen onto the ocean floor. On the sea floor, these carcasses can create complex localized ecosystems that supply sustenance to deep-sea organisms for decades. but in this case, this particular type of whale supply happiness and memories that will last decades to the children of the generation.

I know what you’re thinking. What the heck is a whale fall? It's just as fascinating as you might have imagined. Read more to find out!

The final whale fall piece is almost ready to share. I might have some prints prepared for Seedy Saturday & Sunday this weekend, but we'll see. At the very least, I need to spell-check everything. ⁠ I'm better at making art than I am words. ⁠ ⁠ In the meantime, here is the line art for the whale remains. This is the beginning layer of the whole piece. All the critters, colours and shapes interact with the whale somehow. ⁠ ⁠ #whalefall #huimpbackwhale #humpback #whaleskeleton #oceanlife…

Client: Scientific American 13.25" x 20". Private Collection

Scavengers like crabs, squat lobsters and eelpout fish stripped the whale skeleton of blubber. Eels wrapped around its ribs, in postprandial torpor.

The crew’s commentary is gold

One April day in 2013, the submersible Shinkai 6500 descended to the base of the steep São Paulo Ridge, 13,000 feet under the Atlantic Ocean. “Hang on,” Paulo Sumida, a marine biologist, radioed to the submersible pilot from the support vessel on the ocean’s surface. “Those are whale bones.” Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log […]