Scientists puzzled as orcas seen giving gifts to humans in random acts of 'kindness' around the world
From the icy fjords of Norway to the waters off New Zealand, wild orcas have been seen approaching humans who have been in boats and even standing on shore with an offering between their jaws.
And the 'gifts' have ranged from fish, birds, stingrays, chunks of meat, and in one case, even a turtle.
The behaviour, recorded in 34 separate incidents across six different orca populations, appears to be deliberate and surprisingly consistent.
After releasing their 'gifts,' the orcas typically hovered close by, seemingly waiting for a human response – much like a pet cat bringing a mouse to its owner and watching expectantly.
In several cases, bemused recipients took the unusual tokens, gave them a once-over, and gently tossed them back – only for the whale to retrieve and extraordinarily offer them again.
The findings, published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology, have left researchers scratching their heads.
'We do not know the end goal of the cases reported here or even if there were any, but captive killer whales have been known to use dead prey to attract other species and then kill, but not always eat them,' the team, who were led by Jared Towers of the California Killer Whale Project, wrote in their study.
While the idea of animals helping humans is a popular trope in ancient stories – think of Romulus and Remus being raised by a she-wolf, or jungle tales of children rescued by monkeys – modern scientific evidence has been scarce.
One leading theory is that this behaviour reflects what scientists call 'interspecific generalised altruism' – essentially, kindness without strings attached.
The orcas may be extending an invitation of friendship, offering up a piece of their catch without expecting anything in return.
But researchers also aren't ruling out more calculating motives.
In captivity, orcas have been observed using dead prey to lure birds closer only to eventually strike.
However, there's been no hint of aggression towards humans. In fact, wild orcas have never been known to kill a person.
Still, caution is urged regarding the five-tonne apex predators with a brain twice the size of ours. Their 'capacity to display complex and varied behaviours' remains poorly understood, the researchers added.
The most plausible explanation, according to the team, may be that the gift-giving is part of the orcas' natural curiosity, and a way to study humans.
'This behaviour may represent some of the first accounts of any wild predator intentionally using prey and other items to directly explore human behaviour,' Towers and his colleagues wrote.
Intriguingly, in all but one of the 34 cases, the whales waited for a response.
Offering items to humans, researchers concluded, 'could simultaneously include opportunities for killer whales to practice learned cultural behaviour, explore, or play and in so doing learn about, manipulate, or develop relationships with us'.
It comes after a pair of orcas were spotted snogging in the wild - and even using tongues.
Video showed the pair of French-kissing killer whales gently biting each other's tongues for almost two minutes before parting and swimming away.
In a paper published in the journal Oceans, the researchers describe 'repeated episodes of gentle, face-to-face oral contact'.
The strange behaviour was spotted by a group of nature tourists on a snorkelling trip in the Kvænangen fjords in Norway, about 68 miles (109 kilometres) northeast of Tromsø.
This behaviour, referred to as 'tongue nibbling' by scientists, has been seen before in captive whales but never amongst orcas in the wild.
Scientists still aren't sure why orcas might engage in this kissing-like activity, but it could be a form of social bonding or play between these highly intelligent animals.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medical News Today
9 hours ago
- Medical News Today
Could a single brain scan predict the risk of age-related conditions like dementia?
People age at different rates, partly due to genetics but largely because of lifestyle.A person's rate of aging can indicate how likely they are to develop age-related disorders, such as researchers have developed a method based on a single brain scan in middle age that could predict how fast a person is likely to suggest that their method, which can predict the aging rate of both brain and body, may detect who should implement lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of age-related people appear to age more slowly than others. This is partly due to genetics, which studies suggest accounts for around 25% of the variation in longevity but is largely due to lifestyle and the in lifestyle, such as following a healthy diet, exercising regularly, getting adequate sleep, not smoking, and not drinking alcohol to excess, can help slow a person's rate of aging and delay or prevent age-related disorders.A person's rate of aging is often referred to as their biological age — how old their cells are — which can vary greatly from their chronological age, or the number of years since their birth. Measuring this can be a group of researchers from Duke, Harvard, and the University of Otago, New Zealand, have developed a method of predicting how fast a person will age, based on a single brain scan performed around the age of 45. In their study, which is published in Nature Aging, the researchers suggest that the Dunedin Pace of Aging Calculated from NeuroImaging (DunedinPACNI) could help researchers determine how aging affects health, and help them evaluate the effectiveness of anti-aging strategies.'The study developed and validated a new MRI-based biomarker called DunedinPACNI which shows not only a score for brain age, i.e. how old the brain looks, but also shows connections to cognitive decline and other health measures, allowing to perhaps predict how quickly a person ages and how their health will evolve later in life,' Madalina Tivarus, PhD, associate professor of Imaging Sciences and Neuroscience at the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, not involved in the study, told Medical News scan can predict biological aging'The idea of using a routine MRI brain scan to do a 'aging check-up' is very interesting and exciting,' Tivarus told study builds on the Dunedin Study, previous research conducted in the same cohort of participants. This study, which followed a group of 1,037 people born in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1972–'73, looked at age-related changes in gene methylation to create an epigenetic the Dunedin Study, researchers regularly tested participants' blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), glucose (blood sugar) and cholesterol levels, lung and kidney function, and even gum recession and tooth almost 20 years, they used the overall pattern of change across these health markers to generate a score for how fast each person was the latest study, researchers used a single MRI scan of the brain performed when participants were aged 45, which they correlated with the Dunedin Study aging data. They then developed their DunedinPACNI to estimate rate of aging using only information from the MRI evaluate the Dunedin PACNI as a tool for predicting age-related health outcomes, they analyzed it against datasets from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), UK Biobank, and Latin American Brain Health found that their prediction accuracy was in line with more established epigenetic with faster DunedinPACNI scores had several indicators of more rapid aging, including:worse balance, slower gait, weaker lower and upper body strength, and poorer coordinationself-reported worse health and more physical limitations poorer performance on cognitive function tests greater childhood-to-adulthood cognitive declineolder physical MacSweeney, MD, CEO and consultant Neuroradiologist at Re:Cognition Health, who was not involved in this research, highlighted how important brain imaging could be, telling MNT that:'The researchers observed that individuals with higher DunedinPACNI scores, indicating faster brain aging, were also more likely to experience health deterioration in other organ systems, such as cardiovascular and respiratory health. The fact that brain imaging can reflect systemic aging suggests the brain may serve as a biomarker for overall biological age, offering a non-invasive, accessible measure of aging processes throughout the body.'Novel brain scan better predictive tool than existing MRI measuresTivarus enthused that:'This study is exciting because it shows that MRI scans might be used not just to detect disease, but also to track how the brain is aging long before problems begin. However, it's still early days. While promising, DunedinPACNI still needs to be tested more widely in larger and more diverse populations across different ages, ethnicities, and health backgrounds. It did perform well across multiple large datasets, but more global validation is needed.'The researchers compared the DunedinPACNI with measures of hippocampal and ventricular volume, which are commonly used MRI-based measures of brain aging, using UK Biobank and ADNI found that faster DunedinPACNI was more consistently and strongly associated with poor cognition, poor health, frailty, and risk of dementia, disease and mortality than either of these was impressed by the study structure.'The study methodology has some important strengths such as it is using a robust, decades-long longitudinal dataset, uses sound statistical methods, and has been validated extensively using imaging data from other large studies,' she she also pointed out that there were 'some limitations, such as the specific population data used to train the model (mostly European ancestry, from a specific geographical location), its performance in younger or pediatric populations is untested, [and] it infers dynamic processes from one static image (one MRI snapshot).' 'While I don't think it is ready for clinical use, DunedinPACNI appears to be a promising imaging biomarker of biological aging,' Tivarus told us.'The tool empowers people to take proactive steps'As people are living longer, but not necessarily healthier, lives, the ability to predict who is more likely to develop dementia or other age-related illness is becoming increasingly important. The researchers hope that their tool might eventually help clinicians do that well before symptoms, allowing interventions to reduce the risk of conditions developing.'Identifying accelerated aging in midlife provides a critical window of opportunity for intervention. Knowing one's biological age, as distinct from chronological age, could motivate individuals to adopt healthier habits, such as improved diet, increased physical activity or better sleep. By highlighting risk decades in advance, the tool empowers people to take proactive steps that may slow or even reverse aspects of biological aging.' – Emer MacSweeney, MD
Scottish Sun
19 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Moment 5-ton killer whale seen giving GIFT to human as scientists capture dozens of baffling orca ‘acts of kindness'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KILLER whales have been spotted giving gifts to humans in "extremely unusual" behaviour, baffled scientists say. Dozens of instances of orcas approaching humans with offerings have been recorded – and even caught on camera. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 The orcas were spotted giving gifts to humans Credit: SWNS 6 The killer whales would carry it in their mouth and then release it in front of the humans Credit: SWNS Gifts recorded by scientists so far include fish, mammals, and even a turtle. The massive 5-ton orcas would swim up to people, drop the item, and then wait for a response. It's a common behaviour between killer whales – but scientists are only now seeing the trend for human interactions too. Importantly, it's not just a local event: the whales have been spotted handing over gifts in Norway and even New Zealand. "Orca are very social and we frequently see them food-sharing," said study author Dr Ingrid Visser. "To document and describe behaviour of them attempting to food-share with humans in various places around the globe is fascinating." The cat-like behaviour sees the orcas carrying their gifts in their mouths. They would then release them and let them float in front of the humans as part of the "offering" – and wait to see what happens. "There appears to be a prosocial element to these cases," said lead author Jared Towers. He explained that it's "extremely unusual to witness any non-human animal". Never-before-seen moment two frisky killer whales are filmed KISSING in incredible footage - and they even use tongue It's a behaviour commonly seen in cats and dogs. But this is one of the first detailed descriptions of similar behaviour for animals that haven't been domesticated. Researchers think that it shows how intelligence and social orcas use food sharing to build relationships with their own kind as well as "unrelated individuals". And scientists note that orcas can sometimes have food to spare. 6 Dozens of gift-giving orca incidents have been recorded Credit: SWNS "Orcas are apex predators that often eat other large mammals," said study author Vanessa Prigollini. "But when it comes to people, they occasionally prefer to share, indicating their interest in building relationships outside their own species." As many as 34 incidents of food-sharing were collected as part of the research. For 11 of those, the humans were in the water during the orca approach. And in 21 of the instances, the people were on boats – with a further two incidents where the humans were on the shore. "Of the many and varied minds in the sea, likely the greatest are those of orcas," said ecologist Dr. Carl Safina. "After living millions of years in the sea, to them we in our boats must seem like visiting aliens. "And indeed, we are strangers in a strange place we hardly know, about which we have almost everything to learn." For it to be recorded as an incident, the killer whale needs to have approach the people on their own. 6 In some cases, the gifts were offered repeatedly to humans Credit: SWNS And the item needs to have been dropped right in front of them. For all but one of the cases, the orcas waited to see what would happen after the offering. And for seven of the cases, the orcas tried to offer food repeatedly after it was refused by the humans. The research was published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology. 6 Killer whales are apex predators and roam all around the world Credit: Getty ORCAS - HOW DANGEROUS ARE THEY? ORCAS - also known as killer whales - are the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The creatures are dubbed "killer whales" as they hunt and eat other smaller species of dolphin. Some also feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals like seals and other dolphins. They're known as apex predators meaning they're at the top of the food chain and no other animals feed on them. There are no recorded incidents of orcas attacking humans before the bizarre boat-bashings, but they have been known to feast on other land-dwelling mammals like moose who swim between islands. It comes just days after two killer whales were filmed "kissing" in stunning never-before-seen footage. The orca smooching was filmed by scientists during a snorkelling trip in northern Norway. It shows the whales engaging in three separate episodes of "kissing", lasting 10, 26, and 18 seconds each. And it was described as "tongue-nibbling" and "exceptionally rare" by scientists.
The Sun
19 hours ago
- The Sun
Moment 5-ton killer whale seen giving GIFT to human as scientists capture dozens of baffling orca ‘acts of kindness'
KILLER whales have been spotted giving gifts to humans in "extremely unusual" behaviour, baffled scientists say. Dozens of instances of orcas approaching humans with offerings have been recorded – and even caught on camera. 6 6 Gifts recorded by scientists so far include fish, mammals, and even a turtle. The massive 5-ton orcas would swim up to people, drop the item, and then wait for a response. It's a common behaviour between killer whales – but scientists are only now seeing the trend for human interactions too. Importantly, it's not just a local event: the whales have been spotted handing over gifts in Norway and even New Zealand. "Orca are very social and we frequently see them food-sharing," said study author Dr Ingrid Visser. "To document and describe behaviour of them attempting to food-share with humans in various places around the globe is fascinating." The cat-like behaviour sees the orcas carrying their gifts in their mouths. They would then release them and let them float in front of the humans as part of the "offering" – and wait to see what happens. "There appears to be a prosocial element to these cases," said lead author Jared Towers. He explained that it's "extremely unusual to witness any non-human animal". Never-before-seen moment two frisky killer whales are filmed KISSING in incredible footage - and they even use tongue It's a behaviour commonly seen in cats and dogs. But this is one of the first detailed descriptions of similar behaviour for animals that haven't been domesticated. Researchers think that it shows how intelligence and social orcas use food sharing to build relationships with their own kind as well as "unrelated individuals". And scientists note that orcas can sometimes have food to spare. 6 "Orcas are apex predators that often eat other large mammals," said study author Vanessa Prigollini. "But when it comes to people, they occasionally prefer to share, indicating their interest in building relationships outside their own species." As many as 34 incidents of food-sharing were collected as part of the research. For 11 of those, the humans were in the water during the orca approach. And in 21 of the instances, the people were on boats – with a further two incidents where the humans were on the shore. "Of the many and varied minds in the sea, likely the greatest are those of orcas," said ecologist Dr. Carl Safina. "After living millions of years in the sea, to them we in our boats must seem like visiting aliens. "And indeed, we are strangers in a strange place we hardly know, about which we have almost everything to learn." For it to be recorded as an incident, the killer whale needs to have approach the people on their own. 6 And the item needs to have been dropped right in front of them. For all but one of the cases, the orcas waited to see what would happen after the offering. And for seven of the cases, the orcas tried to offer food repeatedly after it was refused by the humans. The research was published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology. 6 ORCAS - HOW DANGEROUS ARE THEY? ORCAS - also known as killer whales - are the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The creatures are dubbed "killer whales" as they hunt and eat other smaller species of dolphin. Some also feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals like seals and other dolphins. They're known as apex predators meaning they're at the top of the food chain and no other animals feed on them. There are no recorded incidents of orcas attacking humans before the bizarre boat-bashings, but they have been known to feast on other land-dwelling mammals like moose who swim between islands. It comes just days after two killer whales were filmed "kissing" in stunning never-before-seen footage. The orca smooching was filmed by scientists during a snorkelling trip in northern Norway. It shows the whales engaging in three separate episodes of "kissing", lasting 10, 26, and 18 seconds each. And it was described as "tongue-nibbling" and "exceptionally rare" by scientists. 6
