It's not quite on the same level as Timon and Pumbaa or Marlin and Dory, but marine scientists have discovered a fascinating partnership between humpback whales and sea lions in Monterey Bay, California. The reason for the teaming up, you can probably guess: More food. Both humpback whales and sea lions go after northern anchovies, but whereas the sea lions chase these fish individually, humpback whales like to charge at large groups of them and swallow as many anchovies as they can at once.
Recording video of several thousand feeding events between 2014 and 2023, researchers found that when sea lions and humpback whales were working together, the sea lions rounded up fish into tighter, denser “bait balls” for the humpback whales to then lunge at. In return, the sea lions circled around their humpback whale friends after each lunge, picking off anchovies already reeling from the whale attack. Check it out: The research team, which published their findings in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, noticed that with the sea lions around, the humpback whales had shorter run-ups to their lunges, spent less time waiting between lunges, and attacked more quickly.
However, the energy expenditure and actual “gulp” time stayed the same. There were no signs of competition between humpback whales and sea lions, or any extra maneuvering from the whales when the sea lions were around—most likely because they both benefit from the arrangement. That said, the extent of the partnership isn't clear.
The scientists aren't sure whether the humpback whales are actively following the sea lions around in search of some assistance, or if both species just happen to be in the same area, after the same fish, quite often. There are of course several of these partnerships in the animal kingdom. The researchers highlight as an example the deal between dolphins and seabirds: Dolphins push fish up toward the surface where they can be more easily snatched.
Any fish that panic and try and swim back down get gobbled up by the dolphins. It’s nice to see teamwork in action. Unless, perhaps, you’re a fish.
Subscribe to our free newsletter. Lead Image: Krylova et al., Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2026
Extract — continue reading at the source.
