VOA慢速英语:Whales Never Die on the Ocean Floor

carcass – n. the body of a dead animal

room and board – n. a place to stay with meals provided and included in the price

decay – v. to be slowly destroyed by natural processes : to be slowly broken down by the natural processes that destroy a dead plant or body

a needle in a haystack – idiomatic expression : something that is impossible or extremely difficult to find especially because the area you have to search is too large

scavenger – n. an organism (as a vulture or hyena) that usually feeds on dead or decaying matter

feeding frenzy – n. a state of wild activity in which the animals in a group are all trying to eat something

crustacean – n. biology : a type of animal (such as a crab or lobster) that has several pairs of legs and a body made up of sections that are covered in a hard outer shell

mollusk – n. biology : any one of a large group of animals (such as snails and clams) that have a soft body without a backbone and that usually live in a shell

decompose – v. to cause something (such as dead plants and the bodies of dead animals) to be slowly destroyed and broken down by natural processes, chemicals, etc.