Cooperative foraging between dolphins and fish-eating killer whales.

ABSTRACT: Interspecies associations during foraging can range from competition to cooperation but are often complex and difficult to interpret. Using aerial drone and biologgers (n=9) equipped with video, acoustic and inertial sensors, we recorded interactions between fish-eating northern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) and Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) in the presence of adult Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). We observed frequent co-occurrence and coordinated movements, with the killer whales orienting towards the dolphins and following them to depth. We also recorded reduced echolocation and rolling movements by the killer whales in the presence of dolphins, suggesting that the whales may eavesdrop on dolphin echolocations to scan broader areas to locate

SUBMITTER: Fortune SME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12698851 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature