Mother killer whale rams dolphin into the air.

In the US, during a 30-minute hunt aimed at teaching her calf how to hunt, the mother orca repeatedly tossed the dolphin out of the water.

Mother killer whale rams dolphin into the air.

A pod of killer whales interacts with dolphins. Video : Domenic Biagini

Wildlife filmmaker Domenic Biagini captured a rare scene during a whale-watching trip off the coast of San Diego, California, NBC News reported on December 22. In the video, the killer whale teaches its calf to hunt by headbutting the dolphin, sending the dolphin flying into the air several times.

"The pod of orca caught the dolphin, but let go after the animal had subdued and was no longer agile. They brought the orca calf to try to catch the dolphin on its own," Biagini explained. He said the hunt lasted about 30 minutes, much longer than a typical orca hunt because this time they were teaching their calf.

As one of the ocean's top predators, killer whales combine their large size and speed into their hunting strategies, according to marine biologist Alisa Schulman-Janiger, co-founder of the California Killer Whale Project. They often slow down their prey to demonstrate their hunting techniques to their young.

"Killer whales can easily move at speeds of 40 km/h, ramming dolphins so forcefully that they send the dolphins flying out of the water," Schulman-Janiger said. She added that the baby killer whale in the video was so small that the small area of ​​skin around its eyes was still yellow instead of white. The coloration will fade as it matures.

The animals featured in Biagini's footage are tropical eastern Pacific orca, which typically live in the waters off Mexico and Central America, according to Schulman-Janiger. They are rarely seen in the relatively calm and warm waters of Southern California. Schulman-Janiger suggests that the large number of dolphins in the area may be less accustomed to being hunted by orca.

"We try to explain to passengers that what whales do to dolphins can sometimes be quite frightening, but it's normal and healthy. It means our ecosystem is still functioning as it naturally is," Biagini said.

Thu Thao (According to NBC News )

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