When whales die and sink, their carcasses – known as whale falls – provide a bounty of nutrients for deepwater creatures. Different stages in a whale carcass' decomposition support a succession of marine biological communities. Scavengers, like the shark circling in this video, consume the soft tissue in a matter of months, while organic fragments enrich nearby sediments for over a year. Learn more about whales on the Australian Geographic YouTube channel where we interview Dr Vanessa Pirotta: a