A new study has revealed that two top ocean predators—northern resident killer whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins—join forces to find and feast on salmon off B.C., with the first video of its kind showing the two species hunting for food and suggesting they have forged a co-operative relationship that may provide mutual benefits.
A new study has revealed that two top ocean predators—northern resident killer whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins—join forces to find and feast on salmon off B.C., with the first video of its kind showing the two species hunting for food and suggesting they have forged a co-operative relationship that may provide mutual benefits.
The paper, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, was undertaken by researchers from UBC, Dalhousie University, the Leibniz Institute and the Hakai Institute, and shows that these interactions are not just chance encounters. Instead, the species appear to be working together to hunt Chinook salmon in waters off B.C., where they are often seen within metres of each other.
“We’ve long known that resident killer whales interact with Pacific white-sided dolphins, but seeing them dive and hunt in sync with dolphins completely changes our understanding of what those encounters mean,” said lead author Dr. Sarah Fortune, Canadian Wildlife Federation Chair in Large Whale Conservation and assistant professor in Dalhousie’s oceanography department.
Read more at: University of British Columbia
Dolphin with a pod of northern resident killer whales. (Photo Credit: University of British Columbia (A.Trites), Dalhousie University (S. Fortune), Hakai Institute (K. Holmes), Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (X. Cheng).
