Sometimes, nature surprises us with behavior that feels more like a quirky human trend than an animal instinct.
That’s exactly what’s happening off the Pacific Northwest coast, where orcas are once again donning “hats” made from dead salmon.
This peculiar fashion statement, last seen in the late 1980s, has scientists scratching their heads.
The bizarre trend was first observed in 1987, when a female orca was spotted balancing a dead salmon on her head. Her pod, along with two neighboring groups of orcas, quickly adopted the behavior.
For about a year, these "salmon hats" were all the rage among the local killer whale population. And then, just as suddenly as it started, the fad disappeared—until now.
A Strange Revival
Last month, researchers and photographers along the North American west coast noticed a familiar sight: orcas sporting salmon on their heads.
Andrew Foote, a marine biologist at the University of Oslo, suspects that the individuals responsible for reviving this trend may even be the same ones who started it nearly four decades ago.
“We don’t really know why they do this,” admits Deborah Giles, a scientist from the University of Washington and Wild Orca.
She describes the behavior as a kind of “fashion,” where one or two whales spark a trend that spreads through their pod and sometimes neighboring groups.
In the late 1980s, the salmon hat trend lasted only a year. Scientists theorize that the resurgence might be linked to the abundance of salmon in the region.
With plenty of food to spare, the orcas may be playing with their meals—or simply saving them for later.
Fun, Function, or Both?
There’s speculation that the hats might have a practical purpose. Orcas have been observed stashing food under their pectoral fins for safekeeping.
But for smaller prey like salmon, the top of the head might be a more secure option.
To better understand this strange behavior, researchers plan to use drones and underwater vehicles to observe the whales more closely than was possible decades ago.
“We might learn, for example, that they carry the salmon for a while before eating it,” Giles explains.
