Bottlenose dolphins along the east coast of Australia have been captured on video using large empty shells as tools to scoop up fish, marine researchers from the University of the Sunshine Coast revealed.
The discovery marks the first time that dolphins have been filmed using tools on Australia's eastern shores, and footage shows a young calf copying its mother's hunting technique.
The hunting strategy, known as shelling, involves dolphins picking up large empty shells in their mouths, scooping up fish from the sea, and lifting the shells above the water to drain out the sea water so the fish can be swallowed.
Researchers made two direct observations of the behavior during boat surveys along Australia's eastern coastline in 2025. On July 6, 2025, an adult female nicknamed Stevie Nicks was seen lifting a large empty bailer shell out of the water several times off Hervey Bay while maneuvering it with her mouth, though rain obscured whether she successfully captured a fish on that attempt.
Dr Alexis Levengood, a marine mammal expert who led the study, described watching the sighting from a research vessel. "We were on a research boat off Hervey Bay when we spotted a dolphin raising something large out of the water. I started screaming because I know what shelling looks like," Levengood said in a university release.
Observations off Hervey Bay
On October 1, 2025, scientists recorded a second mother dolphin, named Maserati, bringing a shell to the surface. Maserati drained at least one fish from the shell, dropped the container, and chased after her prey.
Minutes later, her calf Bentley picked up the exact same shell, held it in the same manner, and slapped it against the surface of the water, revealing a fish inside waiting to be eaten.
"Our footage provides the first potential evidence of maternal social transmission - a process by which offspring learn behavior by observing the actions of its mother. It challenges the belief that dolphins learn this tool use from their peers," the study author explained.
Levengood added in a statement: "Our observations in Queensland show that dolphins on opposite sides of Australia have learned to use tools in the exact same way, independent of one another."
Historical precedents and global populations
Prior to these findings, the only recorded instance of dolphins picking up an empty shell to scoop food occurred nearly 20 years ago in Shark Bay on Australia's west coast, located roughly 3,700 miles away. Scientists had previously only captured images or video of tool use in that specific group of 19 bottlenose dolphins.
Although stories and reported sightings of dolphins using tools to fish dated back to the 1990s, scientists had never documented visual evidence outside the Shark Bay group. Levengood noted that tour boats in Australia may have photographed instances of shelling in 2013 and 2019, but researchers did not learn of those photos until conducting the current study.
Bottlenose dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals known for complex social structures and behavioral adaptability. The University of the Sunshine Coast, a public research university based in Queensland, conducts marine research across Australia's eastern waters, including Hervey Bay, a coastal bay renowned for rich marine life. Shark Bay, situated on the westernmost point of Western Australia, is a famous marine environment recognized for its distinct dolphin populations.
Although bottlenose dolphins are a common sight along the US East and West Coasts, where they regularly migrate between warm water locations, scientists have not seen any American dolphins learning to shell yet.
Spread of tool use among marine life
The new findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Marine Mammal Science. Researchers noted that while this new skill has not been learned by every dolphin in the area yet, it could be easy enough for all of the animals to pick up once they observe enough of their peers doing it.
"We know they don't all do it. It takes some skill, it takes some knowledge of where to find these empty shells, how to maneuver those shells, and how to be successful in getting the fish out," Levengood told ScienceAlert.
"All it takes is one dolphin doing something clever that is easily learnable for it to spread," Levengood added.
