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 sea floor at 1,674 m depth in the Santa Cruz Basin in 1998. This image was captured six years later by Craig Smith from the University of Hawaii. Image courtesy of Craig Smith, University of Hawaii.
