By Josie July 25th, 2023
In the 80s, Orcas adopted a fishy fashion trend – they started wearing salmon as hats!
This shows how these huge beings are, in some ways, not so different from us.
In 1987 orcas off the coast of Washington were noticed wearing (or perhaps displaying is a more accurate term) dead salmon on their heads.
Despite its inexplicable nature, this behavior quickly propagated amongst various orca pods - much like a fashion trend in our world.
The reason behind the trend is uncertain, but one possible explanation is that it represents a form of playful behavior, albeit macabre.
The original trend of Orcas wearing salmon hats in the summer of ’87 and lasted roughly 5-6 weeks, before suddenly stopping.
It unexpectedly made a comeback in 2022 when an orca named Alder was observed sporting a salmon hat.
According to research, the IQ of an Orca is roughly the same as that of a 15-year-old human.
In fact, the social behaviors of Orcas are really similar to humans, in more ways than you might think!
Traits like boldness, playfulness, and curiosity vary across individuals, much like they do in humans.
Orcas are known for their collaborative hunting strategies, which parallel human practices of teamwork and cooperation.
Interestingly, both orcas and humans exhibit empathy, a trait seldom found in the animal kingdom.