1st September 2025 (15 Topics)
1
Sep
Orcas Sharing Prey
Context:
A new study in the Journal of Comparative Psychology has documented instances of orcas provisioning humans with freshly killed prey across different oceans between 2004–2024.
Species Identity:- Orcas (Orcinus orca) are the largest species of dolphins, often called killer whales, and are apex predators at the top of the marine food chain.
- Researchers collected data over two decades (2004–2024) from five oceanic regions—Eastern North Pacific, Eastern Tropical Pacific, Western South Pacific, Western South Atlantic, and Eastern North Atlantic. Only interactions where orcas approached humans from a distance (?15 m) were included.
- Orcas provisioned humans 34 times, offering prey like seaweed, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals. In 33 of these, they awaited human response before retrieving or abandoning the prey. This reflects advanced cognition and prosocial tendencies.
- Orcas possess a large brain-to-body size ratio, associated with higher intelligence, learning, and complex social behaviour. They live in matriarchal pods, where the oldest female leads and influences group decisions.
- While some experts suggest this provisioning may be play behaviour, its occurrence among both adults and juveniles, and often with whole prey, indicates complex social or communicative intent beyond simple play.
- Being apex predators, orcas influence marine ecosystems. Their unusual interactions with humans reflect evolving dimensions of interspecies relationships and raise ethical and ecological questions.
More Articles
Courses
Study
Notes
Home
Resources
More