Discover why killer whales give fish to humans.

Experts believe that offering food can also be a practice of learned cultural behavior, a form of exploration, play, and experimentation in building relationships with humans.

Scientists have just published research revealing a strange but fascinating phenomenon: orcas around the world are constantly "giving gifts" of fish and squid to humans.

Over the past 20 years, they have recorded at least 34 instances of the ocean's apex predators approaching swimmers, fishermen, or tourists on boats, gently dropping prey in front of them and patiently waiting for a reaction.

According to a research team from Canada, New Zealand, and Mexico, these events occurred in various ocean regions including California, New Zealand, Norway, and Patagonia.

Of those instances, 11 occurred while people were in the water, 21 while they were on boats, and 2 right on the shore. Notably, almost all of the whales lingered after giving the "gift," and on 7 occasions they even tried to offer more food when the recipient refused.

Jared Towers, lead author from Bay Cetology in British Columbia, Canada, said: “Killer whales often share food within their pods to strengthen bonds. Their sharing with humans may reflect their concern and efforts to establish a connection with us.”

The behavior of sharing food between wild animals and humans is rare. In the wild, orcas are known for their intelligence, close-knit pods, and use food sharing to build bonds not only with relatives but also with unrelated individuals. They are also skilled hunters, often taking down prey larger than themselves, so they have surplus food to "give away."

The study emphasizes that, in order to be included in the analysis, each event must meet strict criteria: the whale must have voluntarily approached and actively dropped its prey in front of humans (not because the humans got too close).

In most cases, killer whales appear curious, waiting to see the reaction, seemingly wanting to observe how humans interact.

Experts believe that offering food can also be a practice of learned cultural behavior, a form of exploration , play, and experimentation in building relationships with humans.

Because of their complex cognitive abilities and high social nature, killer whales may have multiple motives and purposes behind this seemingly simple action.

A new study published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology marks a significant step forward in understanding the interspecies relationship between humans and the intelligent "kings" of the ocean.

(VNA/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/kham-pha-ly-do-ca-voi-sat-thu-tang-ca-cho-con-nguoi-post1047724.vnp