{"id":818142,"date":"2026-07-23T06:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T06:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/818142\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T06:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T06:04:11","slug":"diver-in-shock-after-orcas-use-incredible-tactic-to-explode-2000kg-prey-animal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/818142\/","title":{"rendered":"Diver in shock after orcas use incredible tactic to ‘explode’ 2,000kg prey animal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amazing underwater footage shows an orca smashing into a sunfish<\/a> so hard that it explodes.<\/p>\n

During the 44-second clip, recorded in Mexico’s Gulf of California<\/a>, a diver can be heard calling out in surprise as chunks of fish flesh disperse through the water.<\/p>\n

It was one of two incidents where tourism operators observed an orca holding the fin of a sharp-tail sunfish and letting go moments before another “torpedoed” it.<\/p>\n

Why the orcas are exploding sunfish<\/p>\n

Research published in the journal Frontiers of Ethology<\/a> proposes that this “ram-to-fragment” behaviour could have multiple functions.<\/p>\n

“We think this may help younger orcas feed more easily, or it could also just be for fun,” said the study’s lead author, Kathryn Ayres.<\/p>\n

“Orcas are known for playing with their food.”<\/p>\n

The sunfish were dead at the time of impact, indicating the blow wasn’t about killing prey.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story on an amazing animal feat? Contact newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Six<\/p>\n

During a second incident in 2025, orcas exhibited the same behaviour to disperse chunks of sunfish.<\/p>\n

(Hector Franz\/Frontiers in Ethology)<\/p>\n

On one occasion, after the fish had exploded into thousands of pieces, a juvenile was seen consuming them.<\/p>\n

Adults then fed on the body, but ignored the small chunks.<\/p>\n

Ayres, who is a scientist at non-profit Beneath the Waves, noted that orcas are well known for breaking up and sharing their food with juveniles.<\/p>\n

But they’re also known to offer food to boat crews, as Yahoo News highlighted earlier in July.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Aussie scientist singles out most amazing behaviour<\/p>\n

Sharp-tail sunfish, which can grow three meters long and weigh up to 2,000kg, are frequently targeted by hungry orcas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/p>\n

A separate 2023 study highlighted a pod ripping off sunfish pectoral fins to access their intestines.<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr Vanessa Pirotta, a whale specialist and lecturer at Macquarie University, said what struck her about the recent footage wasn’t that sunfish were being rammed.<\/p>\n

“When I first saw this, I was amazed not by the orca that rammed the sunfish, but the one holding it in its mouth and let go just before the other orca obliterated it \u2014 how clever is that?” she asked.<\/p>\n

Dr Pirotta said the study highlights that orcas have feeding strategies that are both coordinated and deliberate.<\/p>\n

She believes the footage highlights that humankind has “so much more to learn.”<\/p>\n

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