Turns out that orcas are just like cats. Well, okay, they differ in many ways, such as size and habitat. However, we now see that they have one habit in common: giving gifts to humans. If you are a cat owner who lets your cat go outside, I am sure you've received an unwanted gift. You know the feeling when they drop some deceased rodent at your feet with a proud look on their face. Well, apparently orcas do something similar. Researchers have just published a study showing wild orcas giving gifts to human divers.
Wild Orcas Giving Gifts To Human Divers Just Like Cats
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This would not be the first time that orcas have been caught giving gifts to human divers or humans in general. There have been several documented cases of orcas bringing people presents, whether they approach them on a boat or on the shore. Typically, when presenting a human with a present, they offer it with their mouths.
Now, the orcas are at it again. NY Post shares information from the study, published by the American Psychological Association, that shows how "killer whales may offer to share their prey with humans, 'like a proud cat leaving a bird on its owner's doorstep'." The research in this study showcases some of the first documented cases of wild orcas offering gifts to humans. In this particular instance, the "gift" was a dead seabird. However, the gifts can vary.
The NY Post shares that gifts from orcas have included "fish, birds, stingrays, chunks of meat," and even a "turtle." Sharing food with one another is one of the ways that orcas build relationships. So one could assume that when they decided to share food with humans, they were attempting to form some sort of relationship. As previously stated, this is not the first time an orca has been caught giving gifts to a human.
The NY Post reports 11 instances of orcas approaching humans while in the water and 21 instances where they approached humans on boats. There have even been two instances where they approached humans on shore. In this particular interaction, the orca opened her mouth and showed off the dead seabird. Then, after waiting for a reaction from her new human friend, she swallowed it once again.
Almost as if to say, "Hello, tiny human friend, look at what I caught all by myself." It must have been truly incredible to witness.
