Orcas swim thousands of miles to intercept the sardine run, but it’s not the sardines they’re after. They arrive to hunt dolphins, allowing sardines to swim away from their initial predators.
Features
TRANSCRIPT
- [Narrator] The predator of all predators arrives.
Orcas.
As smart and cooperative as a common dolphin, and three times bigger.
Orcas never used to travel for the sardine run, but now they swim thousands of miles to intercept the shoals.
(orca whistling) But it's not the sardines they're after.
They're here to hunt dolphins.
Not chasing anymore, but running.
The orcas are not only more powerful, they have more stamina.
Just as the dolphins corralled the fish, now the orcas work the dolphins.
They isolate one from the pod.
(orca clicking) (dolphin squeaking) Once they've locked onto their target, they tag team, chasing it, exhausting it, then ramming it.
(water splashing) (gentle music) (water splashing) (water splashing) (water splashing) They attack again and again until the dolphin can no longer swim.
(dolphin squeaking) (orca calling)
