{"id":653393,"date":"2026-10-22T03:30:23","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T03:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/653393\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T03:30:23","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T03:30:23","slug":"diver-films-orca-carrying-gigantic-prey-into-the-deep-then-this-happens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/653393\/","title":{"rendered":"Diver films orca carrying gigantic prey into the deep. Then this happens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among the ocean\u2019s most effective hunters, orcas can take down humpbacks<\/a>, blue whales<\/a> and even white sharks<\/a>,\u00a0but sometimes these efficient predators take a moment to enjoy their dinner before scoffing it down.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During a\u00a0Just the Wild<\/a>\u00a0expedition, wildlife photographer\u00a0Caine Delacy<\/a>\u00a0was treated to an incredible spectacle when a pod of orcas started playing with their food right in front of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis pod of orca<\/a> [was] slowly swimming around when all of a sudden they brought this to the surface,\u201d says\u00a0Caine Delacy<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In his footage, a killer whale carries a huge\u00a0ocean sunfish<\/a>\u00a0(Mola mola) through the bright blue waters. After playing with their catch, the pod started eating it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a few minutes of this, they went deep and we then saw a cloud of destroyed\u00a0Mola mola\u00a0that they must have all smashed together,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Orca seen carrying ocean sunfish through ocean. Credit: Caine Delacy<\/p>\n

In his post, Delacy wonders what might be going on. “Perhaps they were showing their younger members of the pod what to do?\u201d he says. \u201cPerhaps they enjoy playing with their food?\u201d<\/p>\n

A scientific paper published in\u00a0Frontiers in Ethology<\/a>\u00a0in 2026 suggests he might have the right idea. The study documented two instances of orcas\u00a0ramming sunfish<\/a>\u00a0like this to make them burst into tiny pieces and suggests a few possible reasons behind this.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The strange behaviour \u201cmay have multiple functions, including facilitating foraging for juvenile orcas or reflecting play behaviour,\u201d the authors write in the study. \u201cThe observed coordination between adults suggests a high degree of cooperative precision and could represent roles in prey processing, social interaction and learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"OrcaAccording to a recent study, this kind of behaviour may be “facilitating foraging for juvenile orcas or reflecting play behaviour”. Credit: Caine Delacy<\/p>\n

More wildlife stories from around the world<\/p>\n

Top image: Orca carrying sunfish. Credit: Caine Delacy<\/p>\n