Empty sea shells are Dolphins’ hunting weapon: Scientists document rare ‘shelling’ tactic in Queensland; study offers clues to how calves learn it

A rare foraging tactic documented in Queensland has provided researchers with more than just the first eastern Australian record of the behavior, groundbreaking video footage is also offering fresh insights into how dolphins pass complex skills down to their young.

Scientists studying local dolphin populations in Queensland’s Great Sandy Marine Park recently observed the hunting technique known as “shelling,” according to online platform Oceanographic Magazine. During this process, a dolphin drives a fish into an empty sea snail shell, carries it to the surface, and tilts it upside down so the prey falls straight into its mouth.

While Hervey Bay tour operators reported witnessing shelling as far back as 2013, a lack of formal field research kept it off the scientific record. Until now, the only documented instances of shelling came from a distinct dolphin community more than 3,000 kilometers away in Shark Bay, Western Australia.


“We were on a research boat off Hervey Bay when we spotted a dolphin raising something large out of the water,” said Dr. Alexis Levengood, an animal behaviorist and lead author of the study, was quoted as saying by Oceanographic Magazine. “I started screaming because I know what shelling looks like.”

Evidence of Maternal Learning

The team's discovery extends beyond merely cataloging a novel foraging trick. In October 2025, researchers captured video providing potential evidence of maternal social transmission, showing a young calf learning the technique directly by observing its mother. Previously, marine scientists believed dolphins acquired shelling primarily through horizontal learning—observing and mimicking peers within their broader social network rather than receiving direct maternal instruction.

“Our footage challenges the belief that dolphins learn this tool strictly from their peers,” Dr. Levengood explained. “These findings highlight just how smart, clever, and innovative dolphins are.”

Dr. Levengood noted that further field studies will be vital to understanding the full prevalence of shelling, its evolutionary roots, and how cultural behaviors are inherited across marine mammal generations.