Video: Scientists watch orcas ram a sunfish so hard it explodes
Marine biologists have documented a 'stabilize-and-ram' hunting behavior in orcas off the coast of Mexico, where they strike sunfish with high force. Researchers suggest this behavior may be a specialized feeding technique or a form of play.
Why it matters
Understanding complex orca behaviors provides insight into marine ecosystem dynamics and the high level of intelligence displayed by apex predators.
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"Don't play with your food" is a rule orcas don't seem to follow.
Off the shores of Cabo San Lucas, Kathryn Ayres , a scientist at the ocean-health nonprofit Beneath The Waves, saw a surprising orca behavior: one orca holds a sunfish in its mouth while another lines up and then rams it at high speed — leaving behind thousands of sunfish bits scattered like confetti.
Ayres and her coauthors documented this "stabilize-and-ram" behavior in a paper published Thursday.
"Seeing a large animal burst into fragments looks shocking," says study co-author Erick Higuera , a marine biologist at Conexiones Terramar.
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