Dolphins may be passing down the technique of using seashells to catch fish from mother to offspring.
For the first time,
Observations of Shelling Behavior and Potential Evidence of Vertical Social Learning by Bottlenose Dolphins in the Great Sandy Marine Park, Queensland Australia - Levengood - 2026 - Marine Mammal Science - Wiley Online Library
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.70252
Dolphins learn how to use tools to hunt for fish from their mothers
https://theconversation.com/dolphins-learn-how-to-use-tools-to-hunt-for-fish-from-their-mothers-283268
Incredible Footage Shows Dolphins Hunting With Shells Off The East Coast of Australia – And Possibly Passing The Skill on : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/dolphins-filmed-hunting-with-shells-and-possibly-passing-the-skill-to-their-offspring
Using tools requires high intelligence, and several animals in the natural world, not just humans, use tools. For example, crows use tools to dig insects out of holes, and they can also assemble separate parts to create tools . Other examples include parrots using tools to replace missing beaks , and cows using tools to scratch themselves.
Dolphins are also a type of animal that uses tools, and it is known that some bottlenose dolphins living in Shark Bay off the coast of Western Australia use sponge-like marine organisms to find food.
Dolphins that use sponges to find food have been found to have undergone genetic changes - GIGAZINE
In a new paper, a research team led by animal ecologist Alexis Levengood at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia reported the discovery of bottlenose dolphins using shells to catch fish off the coast of Queensland.
Shelling is a hunting method in which dolphins drive fish into large, empty seashells, then lift the shells out of the water and swallow the fish. Until now, shelling had only been observed on the west coast of Australia, making this discovery the first recorded instance of shelling on the east coast of Australia.
Levengood told the science media outlet ScienceAlert, 'We were conducting a regular dolphin survey. We were observing the dolphins and trying to record their behavior, where they were, what they were doing, and their health. As we were observing the dolphins, one of them suddenly picked up a seashell. The moment I saw the seashell in the air, I knew what was happening. I was so excited that I shouted to the students who were with me on the boat.'
The following are photographs of dolphins shelling, taken by Levengood and his colleagues in a July 2025 survey. You can see the dolphins carrying seashells to the water's surface and lifting them up.
Furthermore, after speaking with local tour operators, it was revealed that dolphin shelling had also been observed and photographed in the same area in 2013 and 2019. This suggests that the shelling observed this time was not a sporadic occurrence, but had been observed off the east coast of Australia even before researchers discovered it.
The following photos show the same boat: the one on the left was taken off the coast of Queensland in 2013, and the one on the right was taken in 2019.
Levengood and his colleagues also succeeded in using a drone to film dolphins shelling from above. You can see the drone footage below.
Furthermore, a study in October 2025 observed that a calf dolphin was shelling just minutes after its mother had done so. 'We first witnessed the mother picking up a seashell and swallowing a fish. Drone footage shows the fish escaping from the shell, and the mother chasing after it. Within minutes of the mother dropping the shell, the calf picked it up and began doing the same thing as its mother,' Levengood said.
The following are photographs of a baby dolphin shelling. (a) shows the dolphin lifting a seashell from the water's surface, and (b) shows a fish spilling out of the shell's opening.
According to Levengood, not all dolphins are capable of shelling, as they need to be able to find empty shells and learn how to extract fish effectively. 'As more people monitor the surface over time and awareness of shelling increases, people may start to notice that the same thing is happening in other places,' he said.
Related Posts:
