The Return of the “Salmon Hat”: Orcas Revive Bizarre Behaviour After 37 Years

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Imagine cruising through the Pacific Northwest and spotting a pod of orcas – sleek, graceful, and, strangely, wearing dead fish on their heads.

It sounds like a scene from a quirky nature documentary, but this surreal spectacle is no fiction. After nearly four decades of silence, scientists have confirmed the return of one of the orca world’s most baffling behaviours: the so-called salmon hat.

Orcas with salmon hats

Once witnessed in the 1980s, the peculiar trend of balancing dead salmon on their heads has mysteriously re-emerged among orca pods in recent weeks.

Whether a form of play, social ritual, or cultural expression, no one knows for sure – but it’s turning heads in the marine biology community.

What Exactly Are Orcas Doing?

The behaviour is as unusual as it sounds. Rather than hunting or feeding, orcas have been spotted deliberately balancing dead salmon atop their heads – sometimes for extended periods.

According to researchers, the fish don’t appear to be randomly stuck or caught by accident; they’re placed with precision.

“It does seem possible that some individuals that experienced [the behaviour] the first time around may have started it again,” noted orca expert Andrew Foote.

So, what’s going on here? Is it playful mimicry? A social signal? An aquatic fashion statement? Theories abound, but for now, it remains one of the ocean’s oddest unsolved mysteries.

The salmon hat phenomenon first appeared in the 1980s before fading into obscurity.

Since then, it’s been largely absent from orca observations – until now. Marine biologist Deborah Giles described seeing it again as “a rarity,” raising questions about how and why it has returned.

Could this behaviour have been quietly maintained by a few pods or rediscovered anew? The answer could lie in the orcas’ social structure, or even environmental changes that triggered old habits.

Why Might Orcas Be Doing This?

Scientists aren’t sure – but they’ve got ideas.

Theories range from playful experimentation to complex social dynamics. It may help build bonds within a pod, demonstrate dexterity, or even establish status.

“Honestly, your guess is as good as mine,” said Giles. “We’ve seen mammal-eating killer whales carry large chunks of food under their pectoral fin, kind of tucked in… this could be something similar.”

There’s also the possibility that this is cultural behaviour – more ritual than randomness. The deliberate nature and social visibility of the action suggest something more than idle play.

Orcas are one of the few non-human species known to engage in cultural transmission – learning and sharing behaviours across generations.

They have unique dialects, localised hunting strategies, and now, possibly, a resurgent fashion trend.

“This isn’t just mimicry – it’s memory,” suggests Foote. “To see it revived after so many years indicates a deeper cultural layer we’re only beginning to understand.”

Such transmission also challenges our understanding of animal cognition and intelligence, aligning orcas closer to primates and even humans in their capacity for learned traditions.

The return of the salmon hat isn’t just an amusing anecdote – it’s a call to rethink how we study and protect these animals.

If orcas are capable of preserving and reviving cultural practices, then safeguarding their environment is about more than food supply or breeding grounds. It’s also about preserving space for the complex social behaviours that define their lives.

The 37-year silence and sudden reappearance of the salmon hat trend provide a compelling glimpse into the social memory, intelligence, and adaptability of these marine giants.

As research continues, one thing is clear: there’s far more to orcas than meets the eye – or the dorsal fin.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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