研究人员在加州湾观察到虎鲸采用一种全新的捕猎技巧：一只虎鲸咬住翻车鱼的尸体并及时松口，同时另一只虎鲸以高速冲撞，将猎物的组织撞碎成数千片碎屑[1]。这一行为方式此前未曾被正式记录过。
这项研究由非营利组织Beneath The Waves的研究员Kathryn Ayres博士领导[1]，已发表于《动物伦理学前沿》（Frontiers in Ethology, 2026; 5）[1]。研究团队在加州湾记录了两起独立事件，分别发生在2024年7月和2025年9月，间隔略超一年[1]。被撞击的尖尾翻车鱼是体型庞大的鱼类，可超过3米长，体重达2000公斤[1]。
Ayres博士表示："我们记录下一只虎鲸咬住翻车鱼，然后在另一只虎鲸高速撞击前松口，导致组织碎裂成数千片"[1]。研究人员推测，这种行为可能有助于幼虎鲸更轻松地进食，或作为社交游戏的一种形式[1]。
Researchers in the Gulf of California have documented a previously unrecorded hunting technique in which orcas use high-speed collisions to disintegrate their prey [1]. According to the study, one orca holds a sunfish while another strikes it at high velocity, causing the tissue to fragment into thousands of pieces [1]. Dr. Kathryn Ayres, lead researcher at the nonprofit organization Beneath The Waves, described the behavior, stating: "We document how one orca holds the sunfish and lets go just before another orca hits it at high speed, causing the tissue to break apart into thousands of pieces" [1].
The researchers observed this behavior twice in the Gulf of California, in July 2024 and September 2025, involving giant sunfish species (Masturus lanceolatus) that can exceed three meters in length and weigh up to 2,000 kilograms [1]. The novel hunting technique, published in Frontiers in Ethology in 2026, may serve functional purposes such as making large prey easier for younger orcas to consume, or it could represent a form of social play among the animals [1].