“This does not look like normal hunting behaviour”: remarkable footage shows orcas hunting in a way never filmed before

The pod of orcas was filmed playing with their food – but not for the reason you might think.

A new wildlife show has filmed something never seen before among orcas: a mother teaching her calves to hunt.

“This does not look like normal hunting behaviour,” the narrator says in the video as the mother orca – named Jenny – delicately grabs a seal’s tail with her teeth and tugs it, pulling it off the ice and into the water.

Once she’s demonstrated how to do it, she lets her calves try.

“Teaching behaviour like this has never been filmed before,” the narrator says.

Watch: orcas teach their young to hunt/Credit: Nature on PBS

This article by Melissa Hobson was first published by Discover Wildlife on 12 February 2025. Lead Image: Orca (not the orcas seen in the film above) / Getty.

What you can do

Help to protect wildlife by making a monthly donation of as little as $1.

Your donation will support vital conservation projects.

Donate