Orcas have been filmed pulverising one of the world’s heaviest fish, in what scientists say could either be a feeding strategy or simply a way of having fun.
Underwater footage taken off the coast of Mexico in 2024 shows one orca holding the carcass of a sunfish in its mouth, before a male rams into it, causing the creature to explode into hundreds of pieces.
The never-before-seen behaviour was repeated again just a year later, this time off the Gulf of California.
The behaviour, reported in the Frontiers in Ethology journal, could be a means of breaking down a large meal into hundreds of smaller pieces for orca calves.
“Or it could also just be for fun,” said Kathryn Ayres from the University of Sheffield, explaining that the mammals are known for playing with their food.
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