Marine biologists are documenting something extraordinary that’s never been seen before: wild killer whales are actively trying to share their food with humans, dropping fresh kills in front of people and waiting for a response. Over the past two decades, researchers have recorded 34 instances across four oceans where orcas approached humans on their own, offered everything from seals and sea otters to jellyfish and seaweed, and patiently waited to see what would happen. What makes this behavior even more remarkable is that in seven cases, the whales tried multiple times after being initially rejected, sometimes turning the interaction into what researchers described as a game of fetch.
This groundbreaking discovery represents some of the first detailed accounts of wild, non-domesticated animals intentionally trying to share food with humans, suggesting what scientists are calling “interspecific generalized altruism.” The behavior has been observed in orcas of every age and appears to stem from pure curiosity and their natural tendency to build relationships through food sharing within their own pods. As one researcher noted after being presented with a harbor seal pup, “You are left with a feeling of disbelief—did that just happen?” Scientists believe this unprecedented behavior may highlight the evolutionary convergence of intelligence between the highest order primates and dolphins, proving that these ocean giants possess cognitive abilities and social intelligence that rival our own.