▁including ▁potential ▁wh ale ▁fall ▁special ists . ▁It ▁has ▁been ▁post ulated ▁that ▁wh ale ▁falls ▁generate ▁b iod iversity ▁by ▁providing ▁evolution ary ▁ste pping ▁stones ▁for ▁multiple ▁line ages ▁to ▁move ▁and ▁adapt ▁to ▁new ▁environment ally - ch alleng ing ▁habit ats . ▁Research ers ▁estimate ▁that ▁ 6 9 0 , 0 0 0 ▁car c ass es / ske let ons ▁of ▁the ▁nine ▁largest ▁wh ale ▁species ▁are ▁in ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁four ▁stages ▁of ▁succession ▁at ▁any ▁one ▁time . ▁This ▁estimate ▁implies ▁an ▁average ▁spacing ▁of ▁ ▁and ▁as ▁little ▁as ▁ ▁along ▁migration ▁routes . ▁They ▁hypoth es ize ▁that ▁this ▁distance ▁is ▁short ▁enough ▁to ▁allow ▁lar va e ▁to ▁dis per se / migr ate ▁from ▁one ▁to ▁another . ▁ ▁Wh ale ▁falls ▁are ▁able ▁to ▁occur ▁in ▁the ▁deep ▁open ▁ocean ▁due ▁to ▁cold ▁temper atures ▁and ▁high ▁hydro static ▁press ures . ▁In ▁the ▁coast al ▁ocean , ▁a ▁higher ▁inc idence ▁of ▁pred ators ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁war mer ▁waters ▁hast en ▁the ▁decomposition ▁of ▁wh ale ▁car c ass es . ▁Car c ass es ▁may ▁also ▁float ▁due ▁to ▁decom pos itional ▁g ases , ▁keeping ▁the ▁car c ass ▁at ▁the ▁surface . ▁The ▁bodies ▁of ▁most ▁great ▁wh ales ▁( b ale en ▁and ▁s perm ▁wh ales ) ▁are ▁slightly ▁dens er ▁than ▁the ▁surrounding ▁se aw ater , ▁and ▁only ▁become ▁posit ively ▁bu oy ant ▁when ▁the ▁l ungs ▁are