Scientists studying marine mammals off the Pacific coast of North America have observed an unusual interaction between two highly intelligent predators: killer whales and dolphins apparently hunting together.
The observations were recorded in British Columbia waters, where researchers documented groups of fish-eating resident orcas moving alongside Pacific white-sided dolphins during salmon hunts.
Researchers studying killer whales in the North Pacific have uncovered evidence suggesting that orcas may occasionally prey on other orcas, a behaviour rarely documented among the ocean’s top predators.
The clues come from two severed dorsal fins discovered on Bering Island in Russia’s Commander Islands. The fins bore clear tooth marks and other signs of feeding damage, indicating they may have been torn from killer whales and partially consumed.
Scientists have discovered evidence that orcas may eavesdrop on dolphins, potentially using the sounds produced during dolphin echolocation to help locate prey. The finding adds a new dimension to how marine predators may exploit the acoustic landscape of the ocean.
The chameleon bends light through structure. Beneath its skin lie layers of cells that manipulate reflection, shifting crystal lattices to alter the wavelengths that reach our eyes. A mood, a rival, a shift in temperature, and forest-green suddenly blooms across its flanks.
To the lucky diver who witnesses it, coral spawning looks almost magical, a slow underwater blizzard, soft and dreamlike. But behind the beauty lies a great mystery: How do millions of individual corals, spread over vast distances, all know when to spawn?
Scientists have long wondered how sharks manage these epic journeys. Many species migrate seasonally, some cross entire ocean basins, and others return to their birthplace after years away. Unlike seabirds or turtles, they do not surface for landmarks or rely on familiar coastlines. So what is their secret?
Reports of orcas ramming and damaging leisure boats off Spain and Portugal have sparked global fascination and alarm. While some incidents have led to vessels being towed back to port, researchers increasingly believe the behaviour is not aggression but a form of play or social learning within a small group of Iberian orcas.
Ethologist Ila France Porcher spent seven years observing wild sharks in French Polynesia and Florida, uncovering astonishing insights into their emotional lives, intelligence and social dynamics. Her groundbreaking work challenges long-held assumptions, revealing sharks not as mindless predators, but as sentient, complex beings capable of memory, attachment and even moral judgment.
Over the past twenty years, researchers have documented nearly 34 cases of wild orcas offering food to humans—dropping fish, birds, stingrays, and even turtles—before lingering as if waiting for a response. These curious encounters, recorded from California to Norway, suggest deep social awareness and possibly a desire to connect across species boundaries.
In a surprising new study, scientists have observed killer whales using marine plants—mostly kelp—as tools for social grooming. The findings, published in Current Biology, mark one of the clearest examples yet of non-human animals using natural objects for mutual care and bonding.
