An orca trying to share food with a researcher holding a camera
Orca Research Trust
Orcs have been seen seeming to offer dead prey to man, which can be a sign that they engage in altruism and can recognize sensitivity in other species.
Jared Towers of the maritime research firm Bay thisology turned an orcas pod (Orcinus Orca) While nibbled with sea birds in Alert Bay, Canada, when he discovered. Two of the whales, Akela and Quiver, approached towers with tight birds between their jaws. Akela, a young woman, released the dead bird in front of the towers and lingered for a moment, as if to look at what he would do. Quiver, Akela’s little brother, made the same, dropping the bird and waiting.
Stupid, Towers looked at the two whales and then grabbed the prey and swim. “I remember thinking, has it just happened?” he said. This event in 2015 and another in 2018, in which a young female orca presented tricks with a Port seal puppy, inspired it to document cases of vestiary killers trying to share prey with humans.
He interviewed others who had had similar experiences, identifying 32 other cases between 2004 and 2024. These include a young male orca in New Zealand named Funky Monkey approaching several times a researcher with a long-draped tail striking over his head, and a killer-tuer in Norway apparently offering entertainment. In total, 18 species of different prey were proposed, including Blubber from a gray whale, seals, jellyfish, birds, a otter, rays, a starfish and a turtle – plus a touch of algae.
This behavior has already been observed in the Orca pods. “They live in very united, complex social societies and share prey throughout their lives,” explains Towers.
But that doesn’t seem to stop there. “They take something they do with each other and spread this good will to another species,” said Lori Morino at New York University, which was not involved in the study.
Towers says it shows that the tukers are capable of generalized altruism or kindness. This also shows that orcas can recognize sensitivity in others and are sufficiently curious and daring to experiment through the species, he says.
This generalized altruism has meaning in social societies where members benefit from cooperation. The killers are also some of the rare marine predators who sometimes find themselves with excess prey. Sometimes a pod will kill a larger whale than they can finish, for example. “You can just leave it, you can play with or you can use it to explore relationships in your environment,” says Towers.
For killers – many of whom are generalist predators – curious or exploratory behavior is an advantage. “Curiosity is one of the things that reduces uncertainty,” says Towers. “They actively learn by testing the waters.”
He also says that behavior demonstrates that orcas have a theory of the mind, the ability to understand that others have distinct mental states that differ from its own. It has already been seen in some birds, monkeys and other marine animals such as dolphins.
Subjects:
