Dolphins never seem to grow out of their happy-go-lucky attitude, which is probably why we love them so much – they remind us about the importance of play time!

But, as cool and fun as these animals appear to be on the outside, there is another side to them that we don’t really like to think about. It doesn’t help that nature documentaries leave this part of their lives on the cutting room floor.

There’s a secret brewing underneath the surface of dolphin-ville, and this revealing video clip shows what our mammalian cousins are up to when they’re not being so cute and cuddly.

Here’s a fact of dolphin life that most of us don’t give much thought to – they need to eat! When they’re in a sea park, dolphins are hand-fed their meals, but out in the great blue yonder the critters actually have to round up their grub the old fashioned way – by hunting for it!

However, instead of silently stalking their prey like a lion or wolf, bottlenose dolphins have figured out it’s actually much easier to give up the chase. When these snarky little tricksters stuck their bottle noses together, they came up with a brilliant game plan that delivers food right into their adorable little maws.

The footage below shows a dolphin that at first seems to be exhibiting unusual behavior. She’s flapping her tail against the bottom of a shallow sea bed as she swims around in a circle.

However, this clever girl isn’t just goofing off – the ring of silt and mud she’s dredged up is actually a homemade fishing net! After she’s laid her fun little trap, the poor, clueless fish do all the work for her.

Check out the video below to see why dolphins are the masters of meal planning. Talk about getting the fresh “catch” of the day!