Eastern Australia Dolphins Use Shells to Catch Fish, Study Suggests Maternal Learning From 2 Sightings
Updated
Updated · Nautilus · Aug 13
Eastern Australia Dolphins Use Shells to Catch Fish, Study Suggests Maternal Learning From 2 Sightings
3 articles · Updated · Nautilus · Aug 13
Summary
Two filmed shelling events in Queensland's Great Sandy Marine Park mark the first published record of eastern Australian dolphins using large shells to trap and eat fish.
Researchers say the behavior requires specialized handling—finding a shell, keeping a fish inside and lifting it to the surface before shaking out water and prey.
One key observation showed a mother surfacing repeatedly with a bailer shell on her nose, then her calf copying the posture and slapping the shell on the water.
That sequence contrasts with earlier Western Australia work that favored peer-to-peer learning, and instead points to possible maternal social transmission through observation.
Shelling was first described 15 years ago in Western Australia, suggesting the foraging tactic may be more widespread across Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin populations than previously documented.