A dolphin named Bubbles makes other fish vomit, then eats it

In the waters off the southern Great Barrier Reef in Australia, a male bottlenose dolphin named Bubbles has been causing trouble for local bigeye trevally. Since at least 2017, Bubbles has been harassing the fish, chasing it around until it becomes so stressed that it vomits up its food. Bubbles then proceeds to eat the regurgitated meal.

This unusual behavior is the subject of a new study published in the journal Ecology and Evolution. The researchers suggest that Bubbles' antics may challenge the notion that dolphins are "the good guys of the sea." This perception is largely due to anthropomorphism, our tendency to attribute human characteristics to animals, possibly because dolphins seem to display friendly behaviors.

However, Haines, a co-author of the study from the University of the Sunshine Coast, clarifies that dolphins are indeed predators and actively hunt their prey, irrespective of whether it was stolen from another species or not. The term for this behavior is kleptoparasitism, which usually involves one species stealing food from another through aggressive means.

This behavior is seen across many species, including bears, coyotes, wolves, eagles, and even some birds that target the food of other birds.