Recent observations by marine biologists have documented the incredible behavior of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) utilizing large shells for hunting fish off the stunning coast of Queensland, Australia. This rare phenomenon, known as bombardment, has only been recorded in one other location worldwide.
This image captures the shelling incident from January 4, 2019. Image credit: Levengood et al., doi: 10.1111/mms.70252.
The bombardment technique involves the dolphin lifting a large, empty gastropod shell, specifically the Baylor Shell (Melo amphora), which can reach the size of a soccer ball. The dolphin then rises to the surface and tilts the shell to flush out fish hiding below.
This remarkable tool-using behavior is rare in the animal kingdom and has piqued scientific interest regarding its implications for cognition and cultural transmission in the wild.
These groundbreaking observations were made in Hervey Bay, a part of the Great Sandy Marine Park, marking a significant distance from Shark Bay in Western Australia, the only other known location where this hunting strategy has been witnessed.
“During our research off the coast of Hervey Bay, we observed a dolphin elevated something large out of the water,” shared researcher Dr. Alexis Leavengood from the University of the Sunshine Coast. “It recognized the behavior associated with bombardment and began vocalizing excitedly.”
“This sophisticated hunting behavior involves the dolphin pursuing a fish, inserting a large empty shell, raising it to the surface, and shaking it to coax the fish into its mouth.”
“We successfully recorded and photographed a dolphin executing this bombardment at Great Sandy Marine Park, providing the first publicly available documentation of this behavior on Australia’s eastern coast.”
Researchers tracked two significant shelling events in 2025, with earlier photos dating back to 2013 supplied by local whale-watching companies.
In the first incident on July 6, 2025, an adult female dolphin, affectionately named Stevie Nicks, was spotted alone maneuvering a Baylor shell at the water’s surface.
The second incident on October 1, 2025, was even more intriguing. A mother dolphin known as Maserati surfaced with a shell containing a fish but dropped it to chase her prey. Moments later, Bentley, her calf, was observed imitating the behavior by picking up a shell in the same area.
This sequence offers the first evidence suggesting that such skills may be directly transmitted from mother dolphins to their calves, a phenomenon referred to as vertical social transmission.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFb_B1YzMNA" title="Dolphin Bombardment Video
“We witnessed the mother dolphin surface with the shell, and upon the fish escaping, she dropped the shell to pursue it,” Dr. Leavengood detailed.
“After a short period, the baby dolphin emulated its mother, holding the shell just as she did.”
“Our visual documentation offers compelling evidence for maternal social transmission, illustrating how offspring may learn by observing their mothers,” Dr. Leavengood concluded.
“This challenges the notion that dolphins acquire such tools solely from their peers.”
“These findings highlight the intelligence and innovation of dolphins.”
Further research is essential to decipher the intricacies of bombardment and explore connections between behavioral transmission and factors such as ecology, cognition, culture, and evolution.
Findings are detailed in a paper published in the journal, on August 8, 2026, in Marine Mammal Science.
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Alexis L. Levengood et al. 2026. Observations of shelling behavior and potential evidence of vertical social learning by bottlenose dolphins in the Great Sandy Marine Park, Queensland, Australia. Marine Mammal Science 42 (4): e70252; doi: 10.1111/mms.70252
Source: www.sci.news
