Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1784781729594thumbnail-F7m3y2hyWVI-1280x720 (4).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A killer whale in Canada British Columbia.<em> Thomas Lipke, Unsplash</em></span></span></span></div><p>SYDNEY, Australia — A group of killer whales have been documented blowing a sunfish to bits in an unusual underwater escapade offering never-before-seen insights into orca behavior, according to research released Thursday.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/08/23/killer-whale-attacks-on-sailboats-just-play">Killer whale attacks on sailboats: Just play?</a></div><p>Video released by the US-based NGO Beneath The Waves shows one orca holding the tail of a sunfish, with its fellow whale then charging with full force into the rotund mola, which explodes into pieces.</p><p>The sunfish is already dead -- this isn&#x27;t an elaborate murder ritual.</p><p>Instead, it might be an attempt to turn the fish into smaller bite-sized chunks, researcher Kathryn Ayres said.</p><p>&quot;Or it could also just be for fun. Orcas are known for playing with their food,&quot; she explained.</p><p>&quot;Orcas often tear apart prey and share it with other members of the group, including calves and juveniles.&quot;</p><p>The antics were documented on two occasions in 2024 and 2025 off the Gulf of California, according to the research published in the peer-reviewed Frontiers in Ethology.</p><p>Mark Peter Simmonds, director of science at OceanCare, likened it to &quot;human formal meals where socializing as well as nutrition are in play.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/overseas/09/08/20/orca-that-carried-dead-calf-for-17-days-gives-birth-again">Orca that carried dead calf for 17 days gives birth again</a></div><p>&quot;Perhaps it is similar to the time when the lead human at a formal meal would carve up the roast,&quot; he told AFP.</p><p>Killer whales are highly intelligent apex predators and have been known to play with their prey and deploy sophisticated tactics to ensnare them.</p><p>They have been documented engaging in &quot;wave washing&quot; -- cooperating to create choppy waters that knock seals off sheets of ice so they can be more easily captured and eaten.</p><p>They have also been seen wearing dead salmon as hats for reasons that remain a mystery.</p><p>And they use tools -- research last year showed a critically endangered population of orcas in the Salish Sea breaking off pieces of seaweed to rub and groom each other.</p><p>&quot;It just really shows us how intelligent orca are,&quot; Rebecca Wellard, a scientist at Western Australia&#x27;s Curtin University who was not involved in the research, told AFP.</p><p>&quot;I think I hope that gives people more respect for complex creatures that are great predators in their environment.&quot;</p><p>The hapless sunfish can weigh up to 2,000 kilograms and is distinct for both its size and peculiar shape featuring a flattened body and fins.</p><p>They don&#x27;t commonly explode, the research points out.</p><p>&quot;They&#x27;re a heavy, bony fish, so it must be some severe ramming,&quot; Wellard said.</p><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9qL_hKfZT_o?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gsBZivVRLB8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Killer whales are highly intelligent apex predators and have been known to play with their prey and deploy sophisticated tactics to ensnare them.</p>

Killer whales are highly intelligent apex predators and have been known to play with their prey and deploy sophisticated tactics to ensnare them.

Killer whales: Orcas blow fish to bits 'for fun,' study finds

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Killer whales: Orcas blow fish to bits 'for fun,' study finds

Agence France-Presse

Published July 23, 2026 12:44 PM PHT

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Agence France-Presse

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