Salmon hat

A salmon hat is a cultural fad displayed by orcas, in which they wear dead salmon upon their heads. It was first observed in 1987 with southern resident orcas and was a relatively short-lived phenomenon.^[1][2] In 2024, the behaviour was observed again with orcas in Puget Sound. The motivations for salmon hats are unclear, but other orcas will mimic the behaviour once it begins. One hypothesis is that orcas wear salmon hats to display high food availability, or that the same individuals that originally started the trend revitalized it.^[3] It may also indicate playfulness.^[4]

1. ^ Felton, James (27 June 2023). "In 1987, Orcas Had A Fashion Of Wearing A Dead Salmon As A Hat". IFLScience. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
2. ^ Whitehead, Hal; Rendell, Luke; Osborne, Richard W; Würsig, Bernd (December 2004). "Culture and conservation of non-humans with reference to whales and dolphins: review and new directions". Biological Conservation. 120 (3): 427–437. Bibcode:2004BCons.120..427W. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2004.03.017.
3. ^ Pare, Sascha. "Orcas start wearing dead salmon hats again after ditching the trend for 37 years". Live Science. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
4. ^ Vikander, Tessa. "Why orcas wear dead salmon as 'hats' remains a mystery, scientists say". CBC News. Retrieved 5 January 2025.

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