During a 30-minute hunting session to teach her calf how to hunt, a mother orca repeatedly launched a dolphin into the air.
A pod of orcas interacting with dolphins. (Video: Domenic Biagini).
Wildlife filmmaker Domenic Biagini captured this rare scene during a whale-watching trip off the coast of San Diego, California, as reported by NBC News on December 22. In the video, the orca teaches her calf how to hunt by ramming dolphins, causing the dolphins to soar into the air several times.
“The pod of orcas managed to capture a dolphin but released it once the animal surrendered and was no longer agile. They brought the young orca over to let it practice catching the dolphin,” Biagini explained. He noted that the hunt lasted about 30 minutes, significantly longer than a typical orca hunt, as they were teaching the calf this time.
As one of the ocean’s top predators, orcas combine their large size and swift speed with sophisticated hunting strategies, according to marine biologist Alisa Schulman-Janiger, co-founder of the California Orca Project. They often slow down their prey to demonstrate hunting techniques to their young.
“Orcas can easily swim at speeds of 40 km/h, striking dolphins with such force that they are thrown out of the water,” Schulman-Janiger stated. She added that the young orca in the video was still small, as evidenced by the yellowish skin around its eyes, which will fade to white as it matures.
Orcas often slow down their prey to demonstrate hunting techniques to their young.
The animals featured in Biagini’s footage are eastern tropical Pacific orcas, which typically inhabit the waters off Mexico and Central America, according to Schulman-Janiger. It is rare to encounter them in the relatively calm and warm waters of Southern California. Schulman-Janiger believes that the large number of dolphins in this area may be less accustomed to being hunted by orcas.
“We try to explain to passengers that what the orcas do to dolphins can sometimes be quite frightening, but it’s normal and healthy. It means our ecosystem is still functioning in its natural state,” Biagini remarked.
