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CNN
3 days ago
- Science
- CNN
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. Discover your world Go beyond the headlines and explore the latest scientific achievements and fascinating discoveries. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. 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 behavioral 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 behavior. 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.' Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. Rolex's Perpetual Planet Initiative has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action.
CNN
3 days ago
- Science
- CNN
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. Discover your world Go beyond the headlines and explore the latest scientific achievements and fascinating discoveries. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. 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 behavioral 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 behavior. 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.' Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. Rolex's Perpetual Planet Initiative has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scientists puzzled as orcas seen giving gifts to humans in random acts of 'kindness' around the world
Scientists have been left baffled after orcas were spotted giving gifts to humans in random acts of 'kindness'. 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.
