Rare footage shows dolphins using empty seashells as tools to catch fish, a skill called 'shelling'

Rare footage from Queensland documents Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins using empty seashells as hunting tools in a behavior known as “shelling.” Researchers say dolphins lift large, empty shells with their snouts, carry them above the surface, and shake them to drain fish into their mouths. Until now, the technique had only been documented in Shark Bay, Western Australia, where fewer than 2% of known dolphins used it. The University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), led by Dr. Alexis Levengood, recorded two events near Hervey Bay on July 6 and October 1, 2025. In the first, an adult female (“Stevie Nicks”) was filmed raising a shell, but rain cut the observation after nine minutes. The second involved a mother (“Maserati”) and calf (“Bentley”), with drone footage showing the calf imitating the same shell-handling steps moments later.