A group of killer whales have been documented blowing up a sunfish in an unusual underwater escape, providing unprecedented insights into orca behavior, according to a study published Thursday.
Video released by US-based NGO Beneath The Waves shows an orca holding the tail of a sunfish, with its other whale then plunging full force into the round moth, which explodes into pieces.
The sunfish is already dead – this is not an elaborate killing ritual.
Instead, it may be an effort to turn the fish into smaller bite-sized pieces, said researcher Kathryn Ayres.
“Or it could even just be for fun. Orcas are known for playing with their food,” she explained.
“Orcas often tear up prey and share it with other members of the group, including calves and juveniles.”
These actions were documented on two occasions in 2024 and 2025 in the Gulf of California, according to research published in the peer-reviewed Frontiers in Ethology.
Mark Peter Simmonds, director of science at OceanCare, likened it to “formal human meals where socialization as well as food are at play”.
“Maybe it’s similar to when the lead man at a formal meal would carve the roast,” he told AFP.
Killer whales are highly intelligent apex predators and are known to play with their prey and use sophisticated tactics to trap them.
They have been documented engaging in “wave washing” – cooperating to create turbulent waters that knock seals off ice sheets so they can be more easily caught and eaten.
They have also been seen wearing dead salmon as hats for reasons that remain a mystery.
And they use tools — research last year showed a population of critically endangered orcas in the Salish Sea breaking pieces of seaweed to rub and clean each other.
“It just shows us how intelligent orcas are,” Rebecca Wellard, a scientist at Western Australia’s Curtin University who was not involved in the research, told AFP.
“I think hopefully it gives people more respect for complex creatures that are large predators in their environment.”
The unfortunate sunfish can weigh up to 2,000 kilograms and is distinctive both for its size and its distinctive shape, with a flattened body and fins.
They usually don’t explode, the research points out.
“They’re a heavy, bony fish, so it should be a heavy crash,” Wellard said.
