Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?
When researcher Jared Towers set up his cameras underwater to observe a pair of killer whales, he saw something strange.
One of the orcas, a juvenile female, 'approached a camera I had in the water to film her younger brother and then opened her mouth and let out a dead seabird,' Towers, the executive director of Bay Cetology, a Canadian team of marine biologists based in Alert Bay, British Columbia, told CNN.
She closed her mouth, paused, apparently watching for Towers' reaction and hung in the water while the dead seabird floated up above her. Then, after a few seconds, she rolled around towards the camera and swallowed the bird again.
A few years later, Towers saw another young female killer whale displaying the same behavior – this time, however, the orca 'dropped a freshly killed harbor seal pup right beside my boat.'
Towers discussed these incidents with his colleagues around the world, discovering that they too had been gifted food by killer whales.
When he collated the instances, he found 34 cases of killer whales presenting humans with food between 2004 and 2024.
He and his colleagues laid out their findings in a paper published recently in the Journal of Comparative Psychology where they attempt to unravel the reasons why killer whales might be doing this.
Perhaps, they hypothesized, the killer whales are curious and exploring how humans will react to a gift. Maybe they are playing, though they largely discount this theory because whales of all ages, rather than just juveniles, provisioned food. Or, perhaps it is something more sinister – killer whales have been known to use prey to attract other species and then kill them, but there is no record of orcas ever killing humans in the wild.
'I don't think it's easy to suggest there is one reason for this behavior because there are underlying mechanisms and proximate causes,' Towers said.
'The main underlying mechanism is simply that they can afford to offer us food and the main proximate cause may be that they are doing so as a way to explore and subsequently learn more about us.'
In all but one of the cases documented, the killer whales initially waited for a response from the humans before most of them retrieved the food, though some simply abandoned it and some even tried to gift it again.
The humans ignored the food almost all the time; they took it only four times and in three of those cases, they threw it back into the water afterward.
Pets bring their owners gifts – think of the dead mice or birds that cats leave outside the door – and animals have been observed giving gifts to each other. But until now, there have been barely any recorded cases of wild predators giving gifts to humans, aside from a few instances of false killer whales – a species of dolphin – and leopard seals offering people food.
'In a way, it's not surprising, because… everybody who's on the water with (killer whales) has experienced how inquisitive and curious they are and have had interactions where you know there's something going on between us and them,' Hanne Strager, a researcher and author who wrote 'The Killer Whale Journals,' who wasn't involved in the study, told CNN.
Killer whales are one of the most intelligent animals; only humans have a larger brain relative to their body size, according to the study. And they kill much larger animals relative to their own body size than other whales and dolphins, meaning they can have more food to share around.
They are also believed to have spindle neurons in their brains – a type of neuron known to be associated with empathy – said Philippa Brakes, a behavioural ecologist at the University of Exeter specializing in whales and dolphins who wasn't involved in the study.
While she added that determining motivation is difficult 'because we can't interview them,' she suggested to CNN that it could be 'altruistic' or just a 'basic biological function' mimicking 'something you might do to a juvenile.'
The researchers found that it didn't matter where in the world the whale was or whether it was male or female, a calf, a juvenile or adult – they all displayed this behaviour.
It fits into a wider pattern of killer whales often initiating interactions with humans and boats, offering further insight into their lives.
And Towers hopes it serves as a reminder that 'while our species is obviously more technologically advanced than any other on the planet, we do share it with other highly evolved species whose welfare must be considered in our actions.'
By Issy Ronald, CNN
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


National Post
16 minutes ago
- National Post
There is a serious side effect to going to space, NASA says
A new study from NASA, conducted over several years of long-duration spaceflights on the International Space Station, has found that more than half of U.S. astronauts started noticing changes in their vision after more than six months aboard the ISS. Here's what to know. Article content What does the study say? Article content Article content 'Many found that, as their mission progressed, they needed stronger reading glasses,' the study says. 'Researchers studying this phenomenon identified swelling in the optic disc, which is where the optic nerve enters the retina, and flattening of the eye shape.' Article content Article content What is causing it? Article content A Canadian-led study with an even longer acronym — Space Flight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome Ocular Rigidity Investigation, or SANSORI — was carried out to determine whether stiffness of the eye, called ocular rigidity, contributes to development of SANS. Article content It studied 26 eyes (or 13 crew members) that spent between 157 and 186 days on the ISS, and revealed a drop in ocular rigidity (33 per cent), intraocular pressure (11 per cent) and ocular pulse amplitude (25 per cent) following the missions. 'These findings reveal previously unknown effects of microgravity on the eye's mechanical properties, contributing to a deeper understanding of … SANS,' researchers wrote. 'Long-term space missions significantly alter ocular biomechanics and have the potential to become biomarkers of disease progression.' Article content Article content What kinds of treatment have been tried? Article content Article content NASA has a study taking place now on the space station with a device called the Thigh Cuff. The ongoing investigation has 10 astronauts using tight leg cuffs to change the way fluid moves around inside the body, especially around the eyes and in the heart and blood vessels. Article content That study is expected to wrap up next year but, if successful, the team behind the device says, 'the cuffs could serve as a countermeasure against the problems associated with fluid shifts, including SANS.' Article content They add: 'A simple and easy-to-use tool to counter the headward shift of body fluids could help protect astronauts on future missions to the Moon and Mars. The cuffs also could treat conditions on Earth that cause fluid to build up in the head or upper body, such as long-term bed rest and certain diseases.' Article content Other possible treatments have been considered. Last year, a paper was published about an unnamed female astronaut with a particularly severe case of SANS. Her condition improved after she started taking a prescribed B-vitamin supplement that was flown to her on the station; however, there was coincidentally a reduction in cabin carbon dioxide at the same time, so researchers weren't certain if that may have also helped.


CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
More speed cameras cut down, vandalized in Toronto
A new study shows speed cameras are having an impact in Toronto, with researchers finding a 45 per cent decrease in overall speeding after cameras went up.


CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Jul 26: The Annual Quirks & Quarks Holiday Question Show
Originally published on Jan. 4, 2025 Our holiday gifts to our listeners are answers for all their wacky but fascinating science questions, like: Genevieve Willis from London ON asks: Is there any evidence to suggest that "getting cold" by, say, dressing inadequately in cold weather, or sitting in a cold draft, actually increases our susceptibility to illness? For the frigid answer, we spoke with Michael Kennedy who is an associate professor of exercise physiology at the University of Alberta. Jim Raso from St. Albert AB wrote us: As I have gotten older—I am 73 now—I notice that time seemed to pass more quickly. Why does this happen? For the answer, we asked Holly K. Andersen, a professor of philosophy at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. Dan from Chateau-Richer QB writes: Where does moon dust come from? We reached out to planetary geologist Gordon Osinski, a professor of Earth Sciences at Western University, who has studied samples sent back from the Apollo missions. Scott Beach from East York ON asks: Why do dogs sniff and lick each other's butts? To get the answer, we reached out to Simon Gadbois, the principal investigator at the Canine olfaction lab at Dalhousie University. Robert Smith from Victoria BC asks: Is there evidence to suggest red-heads are particularly sensitive to pain? To find out, we spoke with someone who has studied this in the past: Jeffrey Mogil, the E.P. Taylor Professor of Pain Studies at the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain at McGill University. Stephen Quinn from St. John's NF asks: How can the universe be expanding at the same time as galaxies are colliding? For the smashing answer, we spoke with Sara Ellison, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Victoria. Susan Boyd from Ottawa ON asks: Since some of the elements in the periodic table do not occur naturally, is there a limit to the new elements that could be created? We went to the National Research Council Canada's element expert, Juris Meija, for this answer. Robert LaRoche in Halifax NS asks: Why is the colour of wet clothes always more vivid than when they are dry? For the answer, we turned to Sarah Purdy, a Physicist at the University of Saskatchewan who uses light to investigate materials. Paul Vander Griendt of Newmarket ON asks: If animals wake up at sunrise and go to sleep at sunset, how do they cope with the varying hours of sunlight? For the answer we turned to Ming Fei Li a Phd candidate at the University of Toronto in Anthropology who is studying the sleep patterns of animals. Marie Beaudoin from Salt Spring Island BC asks: How do birds where the males and females look the same tell each other apart when it comes to mating?" We went to Matt Reudinik, a professor of biology at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC, for the answer. Warren Saylor of London ON asks: Could Neanderthals speak? If they could not, would that contribute to the dominance of Homo Sapiens? We spoke to paleoanthropologist Bence Viola, an associate professor in the department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto.