Three Stages
The Santa Catalina falls, but not others, consistently exhibit three stages of decomposition.
The initial, mobile scavenger stage features hagfish and sleeper sharks that consume the soft tissue at a rate of 40–60 kilograms (88–130 lb) per day, over a period of up to two years.
The second stage, 'enrichment opportunist', also lasts up to two years. A few species of animals colonize the bones and surrounding sediments. They consume the tissue left by the scavengers.
In the final 'sulfophilic' stage, bacteria anaerobically break down the lipids embedded in the bones. Instead of oxygen, they reduce dissolved sulfate SO2−
4 and excrete hydrogen sulfide H2S, which is toxic to animals other than certain chemosynthetic bacteria. The mussels and clams are nourished by chemosymbiotic bacteria while the limpets and snails graze on bacterial mats. Whale bones are rich in lipids, which represent 4–6% of the whale's body weight. This stage can last 50 to possibly 100 years.
Read more about this topic: Whale Fall, Discrete Ecosystem
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