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Exhibit: Mission to the Deep

Investigate a Sunken Whale

When a whale dies, its enormous bones settle on the seafloor, providing a feast for deep-sea animals. To find out what happens to these "whalefalls," scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have sunk five whale carcasses in Monterey Bay.

Several times a year they send remotely operated vehicles into the deep sea to photograph the whalefalls, revealing a world of strange and little-known creatures. The bones of a large dead whale can provide food for deep-sea animals for over 50 years.

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