Chemoautotrophic whale-fall community, including bacteria mats, vesicomyid clams in the sediments, galatheid crabs, polynoids, and a variety of other invertebrates. The 35 ton gray whale was originally implanted on the seafloor at 1674 m depth in the Santa Cruz Basin in 1998. This image was captured 6 years later by Craig Smith from the University of Hawaii. Image courtesy of Craig Smith, University of Hawaii.
