• Large dolphins have been seen sharing freshly caught prey with humans. Unlike typical wild animal interactions, killer whales wait for humans to respond before retrieving their offering.
• This behaviour has sparked scientific interest into the reasons behind such interspecies provisioning.
• Killer whales are known for social prey sharing within their pods and occasionally with other species.
• However, interactions involving humans are rare. Researchers collected data from 2004 to 2024 across five oceanic regions.
• They analysed 34 confirmed cases where whales approached humans from a distance of at least 15 metres underwater and offered prey directly.
• In 33 cases, the whales waited for a human response before taking back the prey or leaving.