In a breakthrough discovery, scientists have discovered that dolphins off the coast of Australia are learning a new hunting technique by observing their peers.

The technique is called “shelling” or “conching.” Basically, a dolphin will chase a fish into an empty shell, then grab the shell and bring it to the surface and slurp the fish out into their mouths. 

Almost like a fishy ice cream cone, just like mom used to make.

We know that dolphins are extremely intelligent, but learning a technique by observing a peer has never been documented while observing the marine mammals; until now. 

Eric Angel Ramos, a dolphin behavior researcher at City University of New York called the study “groundbreaking.” 

“This brings dolphins into the fold of primates and humans” even more than previously thought, he said.

We are just beginning to scratch the surface of our understanding of dolphins. 

Passing down knowledge from generation to generation, demonstrating socially learned cultural behavior, and maintaining diverse social communities are just a few of the most recent discoveries we have made.