there are a range of similar finds across the line stone alps their sheer numbers can't be a coincidence so what explains their prevalence steffen killed believes that the brachiopods were dependent on one particular source of nutrition in the depths of the testis ocean methane. oregon in the u.s. state of oregon we found mass occurrences of the same brachiopods in deep water sediment from the same area called we were able to confirm that this was connected to a former methane deposit as the methane emerged from underground it would be ingested by bacteria which grew in numbers and the brachiopods in turn ate the bacteria we suspect this also happened here in the l n i didn't. primeval times methane deposits were as they still are the oases of the deep sea creatures at home in this habitat have always adapted to the extreme surrounding environment. which could