Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
A new-to-science behavior has proven orcas still have a few surprises up their sleeves. This interaction between some orcas and a sharptail mola – one of the largest fish in the sea – recorded in the Gulf of California demonstrates how they break down big prey into little pieces: by swimming into them so hard they explode.
“We document how one orca holds the sunfish and lets go just before another orca hits it at high speed, causing the tissue to break apart into thousands of pieces,” said first author of the Frontiers in Ethology study, Dr Kathryn Ayres, a scientist at Beneath The Waves. “We think this may help younger orcas feed more easily or it could also just be for fun. Orcas are known for playing with their food.”
The ram-to-fragment behavior has so far only been seen in this region, and only during interaction with sharptail mola carcasses. More research is needed to know if the behavior is widespread or specific to some individuals, but one thing is for certain: orcas are not to be messed with.
Read more: iflscience.com/orcas-ram-sunfish-so-hard-they-explode-into-thousands-of-pieces-and-no-were-not-joking-84174
Video credit: K Ayres et al (2026) frontiers in Ethology CC BY 4.0
A new-to-science behavior has proven orcas still have a few surprises up their sleeves. This interaction between some orcas and a sharptail mola – one of the largest fish in the sea – recorded in the Gulf of California demonstrates how they break down big prey into little pieces: by swimming into them so hard they explode.
“We document how one orca holds the sunfish and lets go just before another orca hits it at high speed, causing the tissue to break apart into thousands of pieces,” said first author of the Frontiers in Ethology study, Dr Kathryn Ayres, a scientist at Beneath The Waves. “We think this may help younger orcas feed more easily or it could also just be for fun. Orcas are known for playing with their food.”
The ram-to-fragment behavior has so far only been seen in this region, and only during interaction with sharptail mola carcasses. More research is needed to know if the behavior is widespread or specific to some individuals, but one thing is for certain: orcas are not to be messed with.
Read more: iflscience.com/orcas-ram-sunfish-so-hard-they-explode-into-thousands-of-pieces-and-no-were-not-joking-84174
Video credit: K Ayres et al (2026) frontiers in Ethology CC BY 4.0
