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Orcas, Dolphins: Unlikely Allies Hunt Together
11 Dec
Summary
- Resident orcas trail Pacific white-sided dolphins to hunt salmon.
- Dolphins may act as scouts, guiding orcas to fish at greater depths.
- Study suggests cooperation, not just scavenging, in interspecies foraging.
An unusual alliance is unfolding in the waters off British Columbia, where resident killer whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins have been documented hunting together. These two distinct marine species appear to engage in cooperative foraging, with the dolphins leading the orcas to salmon.
Researchers attached tags with cameras and acoustic recorders to killer whales, gathering underwater and aerial footage. This data revealed multiple instances of orcas following dolphins during hunts. At greater depths, dolphins produced echolocation clicks, potentially guiding the orcas to fish and acting as scouts for them.
The findings challenge previous assumptions that dolphins were simply scavenging from the orcas. Instead, the study suggests a mutualistic relationship where both species benefit from this synchronized hunting strategy in the Pacific Northwest.
