Orcas bring back the 80’s “dead salmon hat” trend

Occasionally I see something so quirky, so odd as to be unbelievable. Which is when the research begins. If it turns out to be true, my first thought is usually “my trusty readers would enjoy reading about that”. Today’s interesting snippet? Orcas (Orcinus orca – or killer whale) have started wearing salmon hats again!!

This exceptionally unusual behaviour was first observed in the summer of 1987, off the northwestern coast of North America. A trendsetting female decided to wear a salmon corpse on her head. In a week or two, the remainder of the pod became slaves to fashion and turned salmon corpses into must-have fashion accessories! There was only one sighting the following season, and that was the end of the fashion trend – until recently…

On 25 October 2024, a male orca known as J27, or “Blackberry,” made an appearance on the tip of a peninsula in the Puget Sound – wearing a salmon on his head. Ten days later, another was seen – but that, for now, is all. So, whether the trend will catch on again remains to be seen. Researchers still aren’t sure why they do it. Various theories have been suggested, but for now those are simply speculation… (See info block for images and video).

Orcas are really interesting creatures – above and beyond their “fashion penchants” (which is obviously a human interpretation), they are extremely intelligent animals, capable of problem-solving, communicating and even creating culture within their social groups. Whilst we have likely all seen natural history films on how orcas co-ordinate their attacks on large prey, an even more ominous string of incidents is now unfolding. A series of seemingly coordinated attacks against, mostly, fishing vessels. This is not a once off event. And neither is it simply fishing vessels.  These kinds of attacks have been reported since the 1800s, but they simply refer to a “whale” doing the damage, so I cannot be sure that they were in fact orcas. 

But things are heating up –  it is said that more than 250 boats have been damaged by the orcas and four vessels have sunk. The frequency of attacks has increased over time – from July until November 2020, 52 orca interactions were reported. The movement was nicknamed #orcauprising. This continued into 2021, with another 197 interactions recorded, and into 2022, with 207 interactions. Numbers vary according to source, but I believe these attacks are still going on and actually increasing. The largest recorded male killer whale was 9.8 m in length and weighed 10,000 kg – which is really large. Whilst obviously all are not this size, they still remain formidable predators.  I think it is exceptionally difficult to interpret behaviours such as this, and I am not convinced that they are “protecting their waters from the fishing industry” as some suggest. Perhaps time will tell…

In the same way that lion prides and chimpanzee troops each have their own “personalities” and cultures, so too do the different pods of orcas. Some are downright fractious, whilst others are more playful and relaxed. Some attribute the difference to be between those that are resident and those that are transient. Within a specific area, even their food sources can vary. Some will eat fish and small amounts of squid, whilst others will specialise in seals, porpoises, sea lions, dolphins, penguins and even other species of whales.

Despite their habitats and habits varying widely, all killer whales are considered part of a single, global species: Orcinus orca. However, a new study may well change that. Decades of research suggest that two killer whale populations (those often observed off the Pacific Coast of the United States and Canada) are actually so different from each other, and from other orcas, that they should be considered an additional two populations (or “ecotypes”) of killer whales, i.e. resident and Bigg’s killer whales. Where the debate will go still remains to be seen.

Whilst many consider the great white shark the apex predator of the oceans, it isn’t. It is preyed upon by orcas, who are the real apex predators. In fact, so much so that great whites leave the area when the orcas move in. The South African coastline provides us with a very interesting example of this. From about 2017, the number of great white sightings in places like Gansbaai, False Bay and Mossel Bay went down significantly. Scientific findings suggest there is a link between the orcas’ arrival and the great white sharks’ disappearance. Enter Port and Starboard, two orcas who hunt various kinds of sharks and have been spotted along the coast from Namibia to Gqeberha. These orcas have a new feeding technique where only the liver of the sharks are eaten. Previously,  great white shark hunts in South Africa involved multiple orcas. They now have footage showing that Starboard is capable of attacking a great white shark and removing its liver in just two minutes – without any help from a pod or even a mate.

Perhaps the most famous orca ever is Shamu, whose name became synonymous with any orca from SeaWorld. The story is a long and sad one, interwoven with abuse and death – of both the orcas and their trainers (you can read the article in the link in the info box). 

Suffice it to say that all wild creatures should be free, and when you lose respect for them, and try ‘play’ with them, you will end up bleeding – or perhaps even dead. Just don’t do it…

Jacqui Ikin & The Cross Country Team

INFO BOX:

Orca spotted wearing ‘dead salmon hat’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wENLNlg1pII

Salmon on Orcas’ heads article:
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/07/science/orcas-salmon-hat-puget-sound/index.html

Pod of orcas sink 50-foot yacht in Moroccan waters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIjlYtSOJ24

Cruising Association Article:
https://www.theca.org.uk/orcas

Orca Attack Reports:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/435540734439160

Orca Culture:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/understanding-orca-culture-12494696/

Killer whale hunts and eats great white shark | BBC News:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5KIUhZw1vo

The Sad Story of The Original Shamu:
https://allthatsinteresting.com/shamu