Killer whale (Orcinus orca) predation on dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) in Kaikoura, New Zealand

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are known to prey on a wide variety of marine mammal species, including large and small cetaceans, as well as pinnipeds (Jefferson et al. 1991). No well-documented records of killer whales feeding on dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) have been reported in the literature. Wursig and Wursig (1980) reported one second-hand account of pre-dation on dusky dolphins off Peninsula Valdes, Argentina. Accounts of killer whales preying on other species in the genus Lagenorhynchus are also infrequent (Dahlheim and Towel1 1994), especially given that these animals are both regularly observed in similar habitats. We present accounts of four killer whales preying on dusky dolphins over a period of 11 d off Kaikoura, New Zealand (42°25'S, 173°42'E).