Vomit-Gulping: Dolphin Invents a Disgusting New Hunting Technique

Remarkably intelligent creatures, dolphins are renowned for their complex predation behaviours. Recently, a form that is notably nauseating has been documented in Australian waters.

An Unorthodox Approach

Off the coast of Lady Elliot Island, northeast Australia, a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) named Bubbles was observed on 11 occasions, between 2021 and 2025, engaging in a form of kleptoparasitism that was distinctly nauseating: when a predator harasses another to force it to drop its prey.

The cetacean targeted exclusively large-eyed trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus). In a first phase, it targeted a plump individual, then isolated it from the rest of the group and chased it until it regurgitated its meal (primarily composed of smaller fish). Bubbles then fed eagerly on this “nutrient-rich vomit,” leaving the trevally shaken, but alive and safe.

In about thirty minutes, the bottlenose could repeat the same operation about ten times. A high frequency suggesting that echolocation might play a role in the detection, identification, and tracking of the prey.

“The observation of such a behavior over several years suggests that it focuses on the fish with the fullest bellies, representing larger quantities of potential food,” says Asia Haines, lead author of the new study, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

Disgusting but effective?

As the team notes, bottlenose dolphins typically feed in groups. The fact that Bubbles has consistently been observed acting alone suggests that this form of “indirect predation” would entail lower energy expenditure.

To date, this is the only known individual to employ it, but researchers do not rule out the possibility that, as with documented cases in other animal species, this behavior has been observed and copied by other dolphins.

Previously, Australian scientists had filmed a fascinating predation technique among dolphins, involving the use of large shells as nets.