It’s still unclear whether or not you’re supposed to tip them. Photo Mike Doherty // Unsplash
Killer whales have a seemingly endless capacity to surprise us with their unique behavior. While we’ve heard plenty about their capability for mischief, including wearing salmon hats and attacking boats for no apparent reason, a new study highlights a behavior that is much more friendly towards humankind: sharing food.
The behavior was described in a study published on Monday in the Journal of Comparative Psychology. In it, researchers detailed 34 instances in which killer whales around the world seemed to offer their prey to humans. Since publication, even more instances have occurred that would fit the behavior.
“We have a long history of interacting with other animals, trying to feed them and gauging their responses. But it’s very rare for any wild predator to do the same to us,” Jared Towers, study author and executive director of the research group Bay Cetology, told The Canadian Press.
The first time Towers saw the behavior was in 2015, when an orca dropped off a dead bird next to their research vessel. It happened again in 2018, when another orca swam around their boat, before dropping off a dead seal.
“These weren’t mistakes,” he explained. “They weren’t like the killer whales accidentally dropped the food. They wanted to see how people responded.”
There are multiple explanations as to exactly why the whales might be doing this. One option is that they’re using the interactions as a way to see how we react, and to learn more about us.
“Offering items to humans could simultaneously include opportunities for killer whales to practice learned cultural behavior, explore, or play and in so doing learn about, manipulate, or develop relationships with us,” said the study.