Friday, February 03, 2006

More Cetacean Stuff

Ah, synchronicity! Yahoo News has this interesting piece today titled "Killer Whales Set Traps for Gullible Gulls." Seems researchers in Canada observed a young orca who figured out if he left pieces of chewed fish floating on the water's surface it would attract gulls who would land to try and eat it. He would lurk underwater beneath this "bait" and snap up the gulls who landed. The orca would do this over and over.

The orca's younger brother observed him doing this and started trying it. Then their mother learned how. Eventually the whole pod learned the new hunting technique. Very interesting.

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