Orcas team up to ram sunfish until they explode
摘要
近期有研究记录显示，加利福尼亚湾的虎鲸会合作撞击翻车鱼，直至其尸体碎裂。科学家认为，这种行为可能是一种文化习得行为，旨在帮助幼鲸更易进食，或仅为娱乐。虎鲸以合作狩猎闻名，其策略包括撞击、驱赶猎物等，这体现了社会互动、玩耍或社会学习。
There have been numerous accounts in recent years of orcas ramming boats—and sometimes sinking them. Scientists believe this may be a form of culturally learned behavior passed down through generations. Now we have fresh examples: orcas in the Gulf of California were filmed teaming up to ram sunfish with so much force that the carcasses exploded into small fragments. While orcas have been known to use force to remove flesh from prey, this is something different, according to a new paper published in the journal Frontiers in Ethology.
“We think this may help younger orcas feed more easily, or it could also just be for fun," said co-author Kathryn Ayres of Beneath The Waves, a nonprofit organization promoting ocean health. "Orcas are known for playing with their food.”
Orcas engage in cooperative hunting strategies that can involve striking or killing animals—sometimes eating their prey, sometimes not—so the behavior could be described as social interaction, play, or practice as a mode of social learning. Orcas have been observed ramming whale sharks as another orca held the prey steady. Other cooperative strategies include herding mobile rays, blocking an escape path while hunting white sharks, and deliberately producing waves to bump penguins off ice floes.
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