Carousel feeding refers to the hunting technique commonly employed by orcas. An individual or small group of orcas will release bursts of bubble or flash their white undersides to round prey such as salmon

Salmon

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

 or herring

Herring

Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...

into a tight defensive ball close to the surface. The orcas then slap the ball with their tail, stunning or killing up to 10-15 herring with a successful slap. Carousel feeding has only been documented in the Norwegian orca population and with some oceanic dolphin species.

External links

• Killer Whale