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Kōrero: Orcas

Orcas chasing dusky dolphins

Image
Orcas chasing dusky dolphins

Orcas are sometimes called the wolves of the sea because of their tendency to hunt as a pack, as seen here. In one attack witnessed off Kaikōura Peninsula, a large female orca led the pack by launching herself into a group of dusky dolphins. The duskies panicked and scattered, allowing the other orcas to pick them off individually.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Private collection

by Dennis Buurman

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Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Gerard Hutching, Orcas – Feeding and other habits, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/4660/orcas-chasing-dusky-dolphins (accessed 5 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Gerard Hutching, i tāngia i te 2 March 2009.