Monday, February 06, 2006

Orcas bait traps for gulls

Orcas, or killer whales, have been seen spitting fish onto the surface of the sea, then submerging and waiting for a gull to come down for lunch. The gull then becomes a snack. Once one whale being studied had used the trick for a while, his relatives copied it - another example of learning by these highly intelligent predators.

Comment: Given how insubstantial a mouthful a gull makes for an orca, I wonder if this is not a meal-getting device at all. Orcas are well-known for having fun, including downright silly stunts like carrying a dead salmon on their heads. The gull-trapping game might be exactly that - a game.

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