The Wild Side Page #5

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they can easily be

cornered by predators

But the shallow water

is a hunting

ground for a small

group of specialists

Here they practice

a fishing technique

other dolphins find

too risky

The shallows would seem to

favor the smaller creature

But the dolphin has mastered

the art of hydroplaning

skimming through

mere inches of water

Sometimes breathing air

has its advantages

The sea eagle

who's watched the chase

with intense interest

times his

swoop perfectly

Of the four to five hundred

dolphins in Shark Bay

only a handful of females

have mastered this technique

Often dolphins play with

their catch before eating it

Just offshore a dolphin tosses

a snake eel about like a ragdoll

The others approach the tossed

prey with great interest

But they will not touch it

observing some kind of protocol

Scientists have speculated

it's a way of confirming

trust or simply avoiding

a costly conflict

When calves catch their tiny fish

they too make a great show of it

By five or six years old

young dolphins no longer

need their mother's guidance

They will be part

of a hunting culture that will

forever be as

challenging as it is perilous

Dolphins have

adapted to an alien world

that is hostile

to air-breathing mammals

In the dark of night

dolphins need to

know what's out there

Using their echolocation

dolphins can detect the size

shape- even the

density of an object

But it's only

good for a hundred yards

or so and is

highly directional

detecting nothing

from behind

It's so accurate

they can clearly

distinguish between

different species of fish

Even in daylight

visibility is limited underwater

But using sonar can

be risky because the

tell-tale clicks may reveal

your presence to predators

So dolphins rely more on

their excellent hearing

The best defense is to stay together

keep silent - and listen

Success in hunting is knowing

when to use your sonar

and when to turn it off

With its own

sonar turned off

a killer whale moves silently

through Alaskan waters - listening

It can hear the

slightest splashing

the very breathing

of distant prey

A group of Dall's porpoises

just up ahead

These are among the fastest

small cetaceans

so quick and agile they can

elude most predators

They travel these icy waters

in groups of two to ten

But for this small herd there's

little safety in numbers

As quietly as possible

the killer whales

are closing in

The slightest sound would

betray their presence

The porpoises

detect something

But it may be too late

The killers are capable of

speeds up to thirty miles per hour

The porpoise zigzags

for its life

Killer whales are masters at

cutting off the path of retreat

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