A group of killer whales has been documented blowing a sunfish to bits in an unusual underwater escapade offering never-before-seen insights into orca behavior, research released yesterday showed.
Video released by the US-based non-governmental organization Beneath The Waves showed one orca holding the tail of a dead sunfish, with its fellow whale then charging with full force into the rotund mola, which explodes into pieces.
“It might be an attempt to turn the fish into smaller bite-sized chunks,” researcher Kathryn Ayres said. “Or it could also just be for fun. Orcas are known for playing with their food.”
Photo: AP
“Orcas often tear apart prey and share it with other members of the group, including calves and juveniles,” Ayres said.
The antics were documented on two occasions in 2024 and last year off the Gulf of California, according to the research published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Ethology.
Mark Peter Simmonds, director of science at OceanCare, likened it to “human formal meals where socializing as well as nutrition are in play.”
“Perhaps it is similar to the time when the lead human at a formal meal would carve up the roast,” Simmonds told reporters.
Orcas are highly intelligent apex predators and have been known to play with their prey and deploy sophisticated tactics to ensnare them.
They have been documented engaging in “wave washing” — cooperating to create choppy waters that knock seals off sheets of ice so they can be more easily captured and eaten.
They have also been seen wearing dead salmon as hats for reasons that remain a mystery.
They also use tools. Research last year showed a critically endangered population of orcas in the Salish Sea breaking off pieces of seaweed to rub and groom each other.
“It just really shows us how intelligent orca are,” said Rebecca Wellard, a scientist at Western Australia’s Curtin University who was not involved in the research.
“I think I hope that gives people more respect for complex creatures that are great predators in their environment,” Wellard said.
The hapless sunfish can weigh up to 2 tonnes and is distinct for its size and peculiar shape featuring a flattened body and fins.
They do not commonly explode, the research says.
“They’re a heavy, bony fish, so it must be some severe ramming,” Wellard said.
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