Killer whales await prey with baited breath

Killer whales which set traps to catch seagulls have become the third known animal species to possess "cultural learning" - a skill that is transmitted to other members of their group.

The gull-trapping trick was initiated by a four-year-old orca in a tank at Marineland at Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada, according to a report in next Saturday's issue of New Scientist.

The mammal discovered he could lure seagulls into his tank by spitting regurgitated fish on to the water's surface.

He lurked below the surface, waiting for a gull to grab the fish, and then seized the bird in his open jaws.

After a few months of feathered snacks, the killer whale started to be joined by his younger half-brother, and soon after that by their mothers, a six-month-old calf and an older male.

The clever whales can each catch three or four gulls on some days.

In June, researchers showed that wild dolphins off Australia taught each other to use sponges to protect their snouts while they were grubbing for food on the sea floor.

And earlier this month, US scientists reported on two groups of chimpanzees whose members adopted different methods of using a stick to coax food out of a feeder.

The latest discovery was made by animal behaviourist Michael Noonan of Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, who presented his findings at a conference earlier this month, the British weekly says.

Source: www.iol.co.za