Scientists have captured world-first drone footage of a pod of orcas hunting and feeding on dusky dolphins.
A team of marine biologists filmed the killer whales successfully hunting dusky dolphins for the first time and then sharing the food within the pod in the Humboldt Current system, off the coast of Chile in 2023.
The researchers, led by Dr Ana García Cegarra of the Universidad de Antofagasta, Chile, were in a nearby boat and captured drone footage of the orca pod feeding on the dusky dolphins, which are a small coastal species native to South America.
The scientists had previously documented orcas in the region chasing both dusky dolphins and long-beaked common dolphins.
However, this drone footage is the first evidence of dusky dolphins being hunted, caught, and shared by orcas of the Humboldt Current system, which flows northward in the Pacific Ocean along South America’s western coast.
The scientists filmed the footage in 2023. However, the discovery was first reported in a study published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science last week.
After conducting surveys and analyzing more than 10 years of data, photos, and video, the team of scientists recorded 28 sightings of orcas in two Humboldt Current locations. On two of those occasions, the orcas were observed and photographed eating dusky dolphins.
Orcas, often regarded as apex predators, boast an incredibly varied diet. However, not all orca populations share the same culinary preferences. They can be segmented into different ecotypes depending on their food choices, acoustics, and genetics.
The observation indicates that orcas off Chile’s coast may be preying more frequently on other marine mammals, such as dolphins. Furthermore, the prey is shared among the pod, highlighting the strong social bonds and cooperative behavior between killer whales.
The sighting shed new light on the eating habits of orcas and may help better conserve their populations in the southern hemisphere.
Studying orcas in their natural environment is very challenging as they are marine top predators, traveling long distances and living offshore, which makes observation difficult,” Dr. Cegarra, who led the study, tells Earth.com.
“But understanding their role in the marine environment is crucial for the conservation of this poorly-known species in the Humboldt Current.”
Image credits: Feature photo by Dr Luis Aguilar of CETALAB.