AssetID: 55929055
Headline: Dolphins dine out Down Under by using sea shells as cutlery
Caption: **VIDEO AVAILABLE: CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM TO RECEIVE** BY MARK WORGAN Dolphins use seashells like cutlery to help them catch and eat fish, according to new research. A new study, published in the journal Marine Mammal Science, suggests dolphins can use seashells as tools to help them dine in style - and may learn the technique from their mothers. The research was carried out in the Great Sandy Marine Park, on Butchulla Country in south-east Queensland, where scientists observed Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) using large empty shells during hunts. From their research vessel, the team saw Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins engaging in a hunting behaviour known as “shelling”. Alexis Levengood, Lecturer in Animal Ecology, University of the Sunshine Coast, wrote on academic website The Conversation: “From our research boat, we observed Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) “shelling” – a hunting behaviour where dolphins chase fish into a large empty shell, then lift the shell and manipulate it at the water’s surface to drain the fish into their mouths. “Between July and October 2025, we observed two adult female dolphins shelling. Using our cameras and drones, our team captured footage of both events.” The technique involves chasing fish into a large empty shell, before lifting and manipulating it at the water's surface to drain the fish into the dolphin's mouth. Between July and October 2025, researchers observed two adult female dolphins using the technique. Cameras and drones captured footage of both events. After speaking to local tour operators, the researchers also learned that shelling had been observed and photographed in the Great Sandy Marine Park in 2013 and 2019. Those earlier images suggest the behaviour had been present in the population for longer than expected, but had gone unnoticed because of limited research in the region. The records from Queensland suggest dolphins on opposite sides of Australia - more than 6,000km apart - have learned to use tools in the same way, possibly independently of one another. The team also observed what they describe as potentially important evidence of how the behaviour is passed on. The calf of the second female seen shelling in October 2025 picked up the shell within minutes of its mother dropping it. Footage showed the calf holding the shell at the water's surface in the same way as its mother, apparently with a lizardfish dangling from it. The finding is consistent with other specialised foraging behaviours, including sponge foraging - another dolphin speciality. Dolphin calves depend on their mothers for long periods, giving them considerable time to learn from them. Scientists still do not know why some dolphins use shells. The technique may help them take advantage of particular hunting opportunities or reduce competition for food by allowing individuals with specialised skills to exploit prey in a different way - or it could simply be “a cool dinner trick”. “There’s still a lot we don’t know, and many questions we will hopefully ask and answer with time,” Levengood adds. “For now, all we can say is that within Australia some dolphins are shelling, and that this innovative tool use has spread from individual to individual by learning.”
Keywords: feature,dolphin,nature,oceans,science,photo,video
PersonInImage: Dolphin shelling off the Australian coast from above.