Orcas filmed 'ram-to-fragment' hunting behavior never documented before, Gulf of California
Scientists filmed orcas in Mexico's Gulf of California performing a never-before-documented behavior: one orca holds a giant sunfish steady while another rams it at high speed, shattering it into thousands of pieces. Researchers say the fish were already dead in both filmed cases, so this is food processing, not a kill.
Scientists have described a new orca behavior called 'ram to fragment', filmed in two separate incidents (July 2024 and September 2025) in Mexico's Gulf of California. One orca grips a giant sunfish by its tail fin while a second orca accelerates and rams it at high speed, shattering the tissue into thousands of pieces. Sharp-tail sunfish can weigh over 4,400 pounds. In both events the sunfish had already been killed by the pod before the ramming, meaning the behavior is a food-processing technique rather than a hunting strategy. A juvenile orca ate the smaller fragments while adults fed on the remaining body, suggesting it may help young orcas get past the fish's tough skin, though researchers say a playful or social purpose hasn't been ruled out either. The study, published in Frontiers in Ethology, says more footage is needed to confirm whether the same orcas were involved in both events or whether the behavior is spreading through the population.