Every Pod Has Its Own Playbook
Off the coast of Patagonia, a group of orcas deliberately beach themselves on gravel shores to snatch sea lions, a technique so dangerous that calves spend years watching before attempting it, and one no other orca population performs the same way. In the waters off Norway, separate pods have developed a carousel feeding method: they herd herring into tight balls using coordinated tail slaps, then stun and consume them in sequence. Off New Zealand, some pods hunt stingrays by flipping them upside down to induce tonic immobility. These are not variations on a shared instinct. They are distinct, locally held skills.
