A Dolphin Named Bubbles Has Been Making Fish Vomit Their Lunch, Then Eating It Instead

A wild bottlenose dolphin off the Great Barrier Reef has been filmed using a hunting trick that sounds almost made up. Instead of eating the fish he chases, he pushes one to regurgitate its last meal, then snaps that up while the fish swims away.

The hunt ends with the fish still alive

Off Lady Elliot Island, at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, a dolphin known locally as Bubbles has been seen working through a school of bigeye trevally in a very specific way. He moves slowly beside the fish, swinging his head from side to side. Then he picks one target, accelerates into a chase and matches the fish's turns closely.

What follows is the part that caught researchers' attention. Within seconds, the trevally brings up its last meal. Bubbles eats that immediately, and the fish is left alone.

According to researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast, this is the clearest evidence yet of a dolphin stealing food in this way. Similar behaviour has been documented in birds and some other animals, but the study says it has not previously been described in detail in any cetacean.

Scientists kept seeing the same routine

This was not a one-off sighting. Between 2021 and 2025, researchers recorded 20 foraging attempts involving Bubbles. They used GoPro footage and photo identification to confirm each encounter involved the same dolphin, identified by notches in his fin and a V-shaped scar on his right side.

In 11 of those 20 attempts, he ended up eating a regurgitated meal from a trevally.

The study, published in Ecology and Evolution, says the sequence followed the same pattern each time. First came scanning with echolocation clicks. Then Bubbles singled out one fish. After that came a close pursuit that stopped only once the trevally vomited.

That repeated pattern matters. Jason Bruck, a dolphin behaviour researcher at Stephen F. Austin State University who was not involved in the study, said seeing the same dolphin perform the same routine again and again is strong evidence that this was more than a lucky accident during an ordinary hunt.

Why go after vomit instead of the fish

One possible explanation is that Bubbles is not choosing randomly. Study co-author Asia Armstrong said dolphins can use echolocation to detect small differences in a target's shape and structure. That means Bubbles may be able to tell which trevally is carrying a full stomach worth stealing.

There is also a straightforward energy argument behind the behaviour. Bigeye trevally are large, solidly built fish, and catching and eating one takes serious effort. The researchers suspect that making a fish give up what it has already eaten could be a cheaper way to get fed than trying to overpower the fish itself.

That idea fits what they saw. Bubbles has never been observed eating a trevally directly. He only takes the food the fish brings back up.

Lead author Romney Edwards-Francis also suggested another possibility. He speculated that the regurgitated food might serve as an easy snack on days when Bubbles has not been as successful while hunting. He also noted that the trevally school appears in roughly the same spot almost every day, which could make the opportunity reliable.

The biggest mystery is where the trick came from

For all the footage and repeated observations, the study still leaves one central question unanswered. Researchers cannot say whether Bubbles came up with this tactic himself or learned it from another dolphin.

Most of the time he has been seen doing it alone. He was filmed once near another adult and a calf while trevally were nearby, but there was no feeding that day. Because of that, there is still no answer on whether this behaviour could spread to other dolphins.

The study is also based on a single individual observed over four years, so the researchers are careful about how far they take their conclusions. At the same time, they point out that underwater behaviour is notoriously difficult to capture on camera. That means other dolphins could be doing something similar without anyone noticing.

For now, Bubbles stands out for a feeding strategy that flips the usual idea of a dolphin hunt on its head. He does not want the fish. He wants what the fish had for lunch.

Why a fish may spit out its meal

Many fish will regurgitate food when they are frightened, chased or suddenly grabbed. It is a stress response that can make them lighter and easier to manoeuvre during a fast escape. If the meal was swallowed recently, it may come back up partly intact, along with bits of squid, smaller fish or other prey.

This is not a deliberate attempt to feed another animal. It is more like an emergency reaction. In the wild, any predator nearby can take advantage of it, because a struggling fish plus loose food creates two chances to eat instead of one.

How dolphins use opportunistic hunting

Dolphins are highly adaptable hunters. They do not rely on just one feeding method, and different groups can develop their own tricks depending on local prey and habitat. Some herd fish into tight bait balls, some drive prey toward shallow water, and some use bursts of sound, speed and body positioning to confuse or exhaust a target.

Taking expelled food fits that pattern. It costs less energy than wrestling down a whole fish and may let a dolphin grab an easy snack while keeping the prey item under pressure. Like many smart predators, dolphins often learn what works and repeat it.

What to know if you spot feeding wildlife

If you see dolphins or other marine animals actively hunting, the best approach is to watch from a respectful distance and avoid changing their behaviour. Do not throw food, scraps or bait into the water. Human food and handouts can disrupt natural feeding and make animals associate boats or shorelines with easy meals.

Boaters and anglers can help by slowing down near visible wildlife, keeping lines and hooks under control, and disposing of fish waste properly. If an animal looks injured, tangled or stranded, contact a local marine wildlife rescue service or coastal authority rather than trying to handle it yourself.