Killer whales, or orcas, have been observed ramming large fish with such force that they explode, allowing the orcas to feast on the remains. This remarkable behavior provides insight into their feeding strategies.
In the video, one orca captures a sunfish just below the surface, while a larger orca accelerates from below, colliding with it at high speed. The impact shatters the sunfish into small pieces, which the orcas consume.
Researchers suggest that this behavior may represent a novel feeding technique or a unique social interaction among orca families.
There are five species of sunfish, but this footage, filmed in the Gulf of California in July 2024, showcases orcas targeting the sharp-tail sunfish exclusively. This impressive bony fish can reach lengths of up to 3.5m (11.5ft).
In both videos, one orca grips the fish’s clavus—the fin-like structure that extends upwards—to stabilize its position. The clavus is particularly prominent in this species, which may explain its selection by the orcas over other sunfish types.
The orcas can reach speeds of up to 54km/h (33mph) when they strike the fish, making the event even more dramatic.
According to a report on the 2024 incident published in the journal Frontiers in Ethology, researchers noted: “The high-velocity ‘ramming’ produced a loud audible sound and caused fragmentation of the sunfish tissue, which dispersed throughout the water column.”
Shortly after the impact, a young orca is spotted consuming the smaller fragments in the water, while the larger adults remain uninterested. It remains uncertain whether the 2025 footage depicts the same group of orcas.
Several factors could drive this type of behavior, as noted in the report: “Fragmentation may facilitate prey processing, enhance social interaction and play, or allow equitable resource distribution among group members.” However, this activity requires “a high degree of cooperative precision.”
Orcas are renowned for their teamwork in hunting; in the Gulf of California, they have been documented flipping great white sharks upside down to incapacitate them, then sharing their energy-rich livers.
Read more:
Source: www.sciencefocus.com
