Featured Image Source: Hawaii News Now
A huge whale carcass washed onto a Hawaiian beach on Sand Island. Before it washed onto land, it was being devoured by tiger sharks. The officials on the scene are working on a plan to drag it back out to sea.
Whale carcasses form an important part of the ecosystem throughout the ocean. In the first days following death, large sharks from several miles around flock to the massive amount of flesh. The amount of calories on the carcass are usually enough to feed several large sharks. Eventually, the body will start to sink. When it reaches the bottom of the ocean, even more deep water sharks will continue to pick off of the body until there is nothing but bones left. After that, smaller creatures will use the marrow of the bones to get their nutrition. Nothing is left to waste in the complex food chain that depends on large whale deaths like this one.
It is crucial that the body is taken back out to sea for both the waiting food chain and the humans on shore who do not want to smell the death of a massive animal for several weeks.
It is likely that they will just strap the whale to a boat and tow it out.
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