{"id":7324,"date":"2026-07-23T20:35:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=7324"},"modified":"2026-07-23T20:35:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:35:24","slug":"killer-whales-orcas-blow-fish-to-bits-for-fun-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=7324","title":{"rendered":"Killer whales: orcas blow fish to bits ‘for fun’, study finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Video shows one orca holding a dead sunfish as another rams it into pieces<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"An
An Orca (Killer Whale) plays with a jellyfish on its nose near Spildra Island, Northern Norway, on November 6, 2025. \u2014 AFP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

SYDNEY: A group of killer whales have been documented blowing a sunfish to bits in an unusual underwater escapade offering never-before-seen insights into orca behaviour, according to research released Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video released by the US-based NGO Beneath The Waves shows one orca holding the tail of a sunfish, with its fellow whale then charging with full force into the rotund mola, which explodes into pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sunfish is already dead \u2014 this isn’t an elaborate murder ritual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, it might be an attempt to turn the fish into smaller bite-sized chunks, researcher Kathryn Ayres said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Or it could also just be for fun. Orcas are known for playing with their food,” she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Orcas often tear apart prey and share it with other members of the group, including calves and juveniles.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The antics were documented on two occasions in 2024 and 2025 off the Gulf of California, according to the research published in the peer-reviewed Frontiers in Ethology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Peter Simmonds, director of science at OceanCare, likened it to “human formal meals where socialising as well as nutrition are in play”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Perhaps it is similar to the time when the lead human at a formal meal would carve up the roast,” he told AFP<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Killer whales are highly intelligent apex predators and have been known to play with their prey and deploy sophisticated tactics to ensnare them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have been documented engaging in “wave washing” \u2014 cooperating to create choppy waters that knock seals off sheets of ice so they can be more easily captured and eaten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have also been seen wearing dead salmon as hats for reasons that remain a mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Graphic
Graphic showing key facts about killer whales, the largest members of the dolphin family, including their physical features, diet, range, lifespan and hunting abilities. \u2014 AFP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And they use tools \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It just really shows us how intelligent orca are,” Rebecca Wellard, a scientist at Western Australia’s Curtin University who was not involved in the research, told AFP<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I think I hope that gives people more respect for complex creatures that are great predators in their environment.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hapless sunfish can weigh up to 2,000 kilograms and is distinct for both its size and peculiar shape featuring a flattened body and fins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They don’t commonly explode, the research points out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They’re a heavy, bony fish, so it must be some severe ramming,” Wellard said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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