We humans tend to consider that we are exceptional and that since no other creature can think or communicate like a human, no other species can match our intelligence.
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The evidence is that – in some ways – whales and dolphins have communication abilities that are not only superbly adapted to their highly challenging environment, but also superior to those of human beings, say the experts at Whale and Dolphin Conservation.
Some of this fascinating behaviour is reflected in their hunting practices, catching their prey in ways that reveal great levels of cooperation, intelligence and social learning. They can communicate in ways we can’t even imagine. Here are some of the smart hunting methods these awesome marine mammals can use to catch a meal.
10 mind-blowing ways whales and dolphins hunt and kill their prey
Bubble net fishing
Bubble net fishing is a neat trick exhibited by humpback whales. Having located a school of fish, a whale or group of whales swim beneath them in ever-shrinking circles, blowing air bubbles as they go. The densely packed rings of bubbles rise in similarly shrinking circles, effectively trapping the fish as the 'bubble net' gets tighter. Then, at the right moment, the whales swim up to the surface through the ‘net’, mouths agape, and swallow the fish in great clusters.
The whales all have different roles: some are bubble-blowers, others dive deep to ensure the fish are driven upwards and some even make calls to help herd the prey. It's a spectacular example of teamwork, passed on from generation to generation.
Echolocation
Toothed whales and dolphins use echolocation, a sophisticated biological sonar system, to navigate, communicate but also to hunt in dark or murky underwater environments. It is one of the most advanced sensory systems in the animal kingdom.
By emitting a series of clicks or pulses and receiving the echoes that bounce back from objects, they can determine an object’s size, shape, distance, and even internal structure with remarkable precision. Toothed whales – such as dolphins, sperm whales, and orcas – possess specialised anatomical structures, including the melon in the forehead for focusing sound and sensitive auditory pathways for interpreting returning echoes. This ability can enable them to detect and track fast-moving prey.
Strand feeding
Strand feeding methods are one of the more remarkable examples of the complex problem solving, decision-making and adaptability seen in marine mammals like whales and dolphins.
This specialised hunting behaviour involves intentionally stranding themselves having driven fish or other prey onto shorelines or shallow sandbars to trap and capture them.
Famously observed in some populations of bottlenose dolphins, the technique involves coordinating as a group to herd schools of fish toward the water’s edge, then lunging partially out of the water to snatch the stranded prey before sliding back into the sea. Orcas in Patagonia hunt seals in the same way.
This method requires precision, cooperation, and learned skill, and it is often passed down through generations as a culturally transmitted behaviour. While highly effective, strand feeding carries the risk of a dolphin becoming fully beached on the shore.
Lunge feeding
This is all about speed and surprise. Baleen whales like blue and fin whales are gulpers. Charging at speed toward a giant cloud of krill or small fish, they open their mouths wide and lunge at their prey, taking huge mouthfuls and then pushing the water out with their tongue through their baleen plates. A blue whale can eat up to four tonnes of krill like this in one day.
Bait balling
Orcas are well known for their cooperative hunting methods. Orcas in Norwegian waters swim in close synchrony to herd schools of herring into tight balls. Swimming round and under their prey, flashing their white patches to scare the fish and create a fish bait ball, the orcas then spin around and slap the ‘balled’ fish with their tails, stunning them for easy catching.
Wave washing
In Antarctica, orcas will work together swimming in unison to create a powerful wave to tip seals off floating ice floes, washing their prey off the platform. Only around 100 individuals are thought to engage in this kind of hunting, which uses the water as a tool.
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Sponge carrying
This technique demonstrates just how smart dolphins are. The use of tools is a sign of high intelligence that is only exhibited by a handful of species – including humans. Bottlenose dolphins in Australia have developed quite a range of tools and methods to aid mealtimes.
One group, known as the ‘spongers’, grab a sea-sponge and dive down to the seabed with it. Holding the sponges tightly in their mouths, they then poke them into the sandy seabed, disturbing fish in hiding. The fish emerge, the sponge is dropped, the meal is eaten, and the tool picked up for further foraging.
The sponges protect the dolphins’ noses from scuffs, scrapes and stings, in the same way as we would protect our hands with gloves when gardening or clearing rubbish from a beach.
Shelling
Other bottlenose dolphins living in Shark Bay, Australia, carry large conch shells in their mouths when fishing – it looks a bit like they are playing an instrument. The dolphin fills the shell and then visits the surface to shake it so that the seawater drains out, leaving small fish trapped in the bottom. One deft flick of his head and the dolphin has earned himself a tasty snack. The knowledge of these extraordinary and creative fishing methods is passed from dolphin to dolphin.
Mud curtain feeding
In the shallow waters of Florida Bay in the US, dolphins use their speed (which can exceed 20 miles an hour) to swim quick circles around schools of mullet (a type of fish), stirring up curtains of mud that force the fish to leap out of the water into the dolphins’ waiting mouths. Dusky dolphins off the coast of Patagonia herd schools of anchovies into neat spheres using this method and then take turns gulping them down.
Cooperating with fishers
In several locations including Brazil, India and Myanmar, dolphins and fishermen have fished cooperatively together for many generations. Shore-based fishermen wait for the dolphins to signal that they have rounded up fish before they cast their nets, the dolphins then easily catch disorientated fish that spill out around the nets. This is a rare example of mutualism, where both parties genuinely benefit from the cooperation.
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