Orcas in Mexican waters have been documented teaming up to perform a collaborative feeding and social behaviour, ramming dead sunfish so hard that the prey breaks apart into thousands of pieces, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers of Ethology. Researchers describe a “hold-to-ram” or stabilize-and-ram
technique where one orca grips the stubby tail, known as a clavus, of a sunfish in its mouth. The holding orca then lets go just as a second killer whale accelerates at high speed to ram the target, resulting in an explosive impact.
Orcas Filmed Smashing Sunfish to Pieces in Mexican Waters
The documented interactions involved the sharp-tail sunfish, a species that can grow up to three metres long and weigh up to two tonnes, or 4,000 pounds. In both observed incidents, the prey was already dead, and the internal organs had been removed by the orcas before the ramming took place. While adult orcas performed the high-speed strikes, the resulting small pieces of flesh were largely eaten by younger pod members, while the adults fed on the remaining large chunks.
Documented Encounters in the Gulf of California
The behaviour was first witnessed and caught on video by The Guardian, a scientist with the U.S.-based ocean conservation group Beneath the Waves. Ayres filmed the encounter on July 29, 2024, while diving as an ocean safari tour guide near San José del Cabo in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. A second similar incident was captured on video in September 2025 in the Gulf of California by Héctor Franz, a digital creator working in ecotourism. Erick Higuera, co-author of the study and executive director of Orcas México, noted he had previously seen similar behaviour in the region in 2021. Researchers remain unsure if the incidents involved the same individual orcas, as the available footage was not clear enough to identify them.
Feeding Strategy, Parental Care, or Play?
Scientists have proposed several hypotheses to explain the explosive ramming technique. One theory suggests the behaviour acts as a practical feeding strategy. Sunfish possess dense, rubbery, and collagenous skin several inches thick, and Robert Pitman, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University, noted that the smashing technique may allow orcas to access meat without wearing down their teeth on the fish’s tough scales, while also helping calves and juveniles with smaller jaws get bite-sized pieces. Higuera added that because orcas lack hands or tools, ramming serves as a practical way to break down prey. Additionally, Ayres noted that the internal organs had already been consumed prior to the ramming, leaving open the possibility that the explosion may not have served an immediate feeding purpose and could have just been for fun.
Orcas are well known for playing with their food and engaging in social fads, such as carrying dead salmon on their heads like hats or interacting with boats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal.
Broader Implications and Scientific Significance
The discovery highlights the cognitive sophistication of orcas, requiring the planning and coordination of multiple steps. Monika Wieland Shields, director of the Orca Behavior Institute, noted that this torpedolike body slam and subsequent fish explosion had never been observed before. Researchers suggest that as eco-tour operators increasingly utilize underwater drones and cameras, further novel hunting and social behaviours may be documented among lesser-studied populations.
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