Description

Book Synopsis
This fascinating nonfiction picture book filled with stunning illustrations details the end of life for a whale, also known as a whale fall, when its body sinks to the ocean floor and becomes an energy-rich food source for organisms living in the deep sea.

When a whale dies, its massive body silently sinks down, down, through the inky darkness, finally coming to rest on the silty seafloor. For the whale, it''s the end of a 70-year-long life. But for a little-known community of deep-sea dwellers, it''s a new beginning. First come the hungry hagfish, which can smell the whale from miles around. Then the sleeper sharks begin their prowl, feasting on skin and blubber. After about six months, the meat is gone. Year after year, decade after decade, the whale nourishes all kinds of organisms from zombie worms to squat lobsters to deep-sea microbes.

This completely fascinating real-life phenomenon is brought to vivid and poetic life by nonfiction master Melissa Stewar

Whale Fall

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    A Hardback by Melissa Stewart, Rob Dunlavey

    £17.09

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    RRP £18.99 – you save £1.90 (10%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Fri 2 Oct 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher Penguin Random House Group
      Imprint Random House USA Inc
      Published 14 March 2023
      ISBN-13 9780593380604
      978-0593380604
      ISBN-10 0593380606
      Also in:
      Children’s / Teenage general interest: Nature, animals, the natural world Books by Melissa Stewart

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      This fascinating nonfiction picture book filled with stunning illustrations details the end of life for a whale, also known as a whale fall, when its body sinks to the ocean floor and becomes an energy-rich food source for organisms living in the deep sea.

      When a whale dies, its massive body silently sinks down, down, through the inky darkness, finally coming to rest on the silty seafloor. For the whale, it''s the end of a 70-year-long life. But for a little-known community of deep-sea dwellers, it''s a new beginning. First come the hungry hagfish, which can smell the whale from miles around. Then the sleeper sharks begin their prowl, feasting on skin and blubber. After about six months, the meat is gone. Year after year, decade after decade, the whale nourishes all kinds of organisms from zombie worms to squat lobsters to deep-sea microbes.

      This completely fascinating real-life phenomenon is brought to vivid and poetic life by nonfiction master Melissa Stewar

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