Massive Dolphin Megapod Caught on Camera

Rare footage captured one of the largest groups of spinner dolphins ever filmed, known as a megapod, hunting flying fish in the Pacific Ocean off Costa Rica as part of PBS's "Spy in the Ocean" nature miniseries. The team used a "spy dolphin" equipped with a camera and an animatronic bird drone to infiltrate and observe the dolphins. Known as the acrobats of the dolphin world, spinner dolphins can leap over 10 feet high out of the water and spin seven times in a single jump. The megapod communicated through clicks and whistles, and the gathering covered an extensive area both on the surface and underwater, consisting of thousands of dolphins at its peak. The use of spy cameras on animatronic animals provided a unique perspective on the dolphins' behavior without disrupting them with large, obtrusive cameras.