Killer whales have been spotted swimming around with dead salmon on their heads. The behavior was first spotted in 1987, among the Southern Resident population of killer whales, a critically endangered group of orcas that live off the Pacific Northwest coast. It was documented again in late 2024, according to the Wild Salmon Center.

From a human perspective, it’s cute, but a closer look at what it might mean reveals something more disturbing.

Orcas Sharing Food, Even When It’s Scarce
Deborah Giles has been getting to know these killer whales for almost 40 years. Giles is the killer whale expert at The SeaDoc Society and a resident scientist at the University of Washington, Friday Harbor Laboratories. She witnessed the first documented incidence of orcas wearing salmon hats in 1987. But we still have no idea why they do it, she says. No one has studied it. There are several hypotheses, however.

One is that when these animals, who mostly eat salmon, are well fed, they don’t have to eat everything they catch, so they’re just playing with their food. Another is that they’re hanging on to the fish to share with a family member.

“These guys do hunt cooperatively,” says Giles. “But they also hunt on their own, and will catch a fish and then save it until their family is nearby, and then they’ll break it in half or in thirds and share with family members.”

For the full story from Avery Hurt, visit https://www.discovermagazine.com/those-orcas-wearing-salmon-hats-it-might-not-be-as-cute-as-you-think-48441