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Story: Dolphins

Pod of dusky dolphins

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Pod of dusky dolphins

Dusky dolphins seem to be very sociable, forming large pods. Off the Kaikōura coast they tend to feed at night, when some of their prey migrate up from deeper, darker waters. Sometimes duskies become the prey of orcas, who chase them in groups and have been seen to flip them into the air.

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How to cite this page

Gerard Hutching, Dolphins – Dusky dolphins, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4672/pod-of-dusky-dolphins (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 September 2015.