An Orca Was Filmed Ramming A Sunfish So Hard It Exploded Underwater (Video)

A new study into the behavior of orcas ramming mola mola (sunfish) causing them to exploded has attempted to shed light on the behavior. Scientists are unable to determine if the “ram to fragment” behavior is just for fun or part of a broader feeding strategy.

Orcas have long been observed eating mola mola, the largest sunfish in the ocean. The fish are nutrient dense and orcas often hunt in groups to seek them out. But this behavior is somewhat confounding.

Orca Rams Sunfish (Mola Mola) Causing It To Explode

Interestingly, the most popular thing to come out of this new study published in the journal Frontiers in Ethology is this clip of the orca ramming the sunfish. It has already gone viral and been picked up by many, if not all, of the mainstream media organizations while most have ignored the accompanying study titled ‘Fragmentation of sharp-tail sunfish (Masturus lanceolatus) caused by high-impact ramming behavior in orcas (Orcinus orca).’

The video comes from a tour off of San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico back in 2024. Scientists have since been gathering data and investigating the behavior before publishing their findings in the linked study above on July 22nd. Kathryn Ayres who is a research scientist at Beneath The Waves and one of the five authors on the study captured this footage of a juvenile orca engaging in the “ram to fragment” behavior and causing the mola mola to explode. Check it out:

I went whale watching last weekend off Portland, Maine and while we didn’t see any whales (lame, I know) we did see three mola mola, the largest sunfish in the ocean. These fish can grow up to 10ft long and 14ft tall and weigh up to 4,400 pounds.

They are absolutely ENORMOUS. And they were incredibly easy for me to spot on this whale watching tour as they often feed on jellyfish near the surface and their dorsal fin flaps out of the water like a breaching shark… Here’s the clip one more time for good measure because wow, just wow:

Seeing these fully grown fish in person, it is hard to imagine an orca ramming one so hard they literally explode underwater but that is precisely what was filmed above.

Here is how the study describes “the event” in question: “An adult female orca held the carcass of a sharp-tail sunfish by the clavus in her mouth. Although the primary body of the sunfish remained intact, a large lateral wound indicated that the viscera had already been removed. An adult male orca then accelerated ventral side up at high speed towards the molid. The female orca released the prey prior to impact. The high-velocity ‘ramming’ produced a loud audible sound and caused fragmentation of the sunfish tissue, which dispersed throughout the water column. Following the impact, a juvenile orca, estimated to be between 50% to 75% of the size of the adult female’s length, began consuming the smaller suspended fragments.”

To summarize that, one adult orca held the fish up while another rammed it so hard it exploded then the juvenile killer whale ate it first. Their main takeaway is “observations suggest a potentially coordinated and cooperative foraging strategy in which orcas employ high-speed ramming maneuvers that result in fragmentation of molid prey tissue.”

Honestly, it is hard to interpret that behavior in any other way. Especially after a second incident of the same behavior was observed on September 7, 2025 and cited in the study.

What is unclear is if the orcas are doing this for fun or if it is a necessary feeding tactic. Surely they could just corner the fish and eat it. Or the orcas could immobilize the mola mola (sunfish) by stunning it with their tails. Ramming the fish so hard it explodes seems like overkill, but the sunfish intestines are nutrient dense and that might be precisely what the orcas are after.

For more on this, click through to the full study above.