Why orcas balance dead salmon on their heads

HostWe often think of wild animals as being totally focused on finding food or staying safe, like they don't have a second to waste on anything silly. But every now and then, we see them doing things that look less like hunting and a lot more like a weird trend you would see on the internet. I have been thinking about that summer when a group of whales started wearing dead fish as hats. What was actually going on when those orcas decided to swim around with salmon on their noses?

GuestIt was the summer of nineteen eighty seven, and it happened in the waters near Washington state. It all started with just one female whale. She was seen swimming along with a dead salmon balanced right on top of her head, kind of like a trophy or a hat. And the truly strange thing is that it wasn't just a one-time accident. Within a few weeks, other whales in her group started doing it too. It spread through three different pods of whales. You would see these massive, powerful hunters just gliding through the waves with a limp fish draped over their snouts.

HostI mean, are we sure they weren't just saving a snack for later? It seems like a pretty good way to carry your lunch if you don't have hands.

GuestWell, that was the first thing people thought, but it doesn't really hold up. They weren't eating these fish. They would carry them for hours, sometimes even for a whole day, and then just let them sink or drift away. If they were hungry, they would've just swallowed the salmon right then and there. Plus, orcas are very good at catching fish whenever they want. They don't really need to carry around leftovers. It really looked like they were doing it just for the sake of doing it.

HostSo it was just for fun? That feels like a lot of work for a whale to do just to look a certain way. Is there any chance it was helping them in some other way, like maybe the smell of the fish was doing something for them?

GuestPeople have looked into that, but there's no evidence that the fish did anything for their skin or their health. When you look at how it spread, it really fits the pattern of a fad. In the whale world, especially for these groups in the Pacific, they're very social. They watch each other and they copy each other. We call this cultural learning, which is just a fancy way of saying they learn by watching their friends. One whale did something new and a bit odd, and the others saw it and thought, hey, that looks interesting, I'll try it too. It's not that different from a new dance move or a style of clothing becoming popular in a high school.

HostI'm struggling with the idea of a whale fad. I mean, we see orcas do some pretty rough things, like the ones that have been hitting boats lately. That seems like a big jump from wearing a fish hat to bumping into ships. Are those the same kind of thing?

GuestThey're actually very similar in how they work. Both involve a small group of whales picking up a new habit and passing it around. The boat hitting in the ocean near Spain and Portugal started with a few whales and then more joined in. Some people think the whales are being mean or trying to fight back, but many experts think it's just another version of the salmon hat. It's a game that's exciting to them. The difference is that a fish hat doesn't hurt anyone, but a whale playing with a boat rudder can cause a lot of trouble for the humans on board. It shows that their culture can change quickly based on what the group finds rewarding or fun at that moment.

HostBut if these fads are so important for their social lives, why did the salmon hats just go away? If it was a good way to bond, you would think they would still be doing it today.

GuestThat's the nature of a fad, though. It burns bright and then it disappears. By the end of that summer in eighty seven, the whales just stopped. One day it was the cool thing to do, and the next year, nobody was doing it anymore. It was like they all collectively decided the joke was over. We did see a tiny bit of it pop up again decades later, but it never took off like it did that first time. It tells us that orca society isn't just about staying alive. They have enough free time and big enough brains to get bored and start doing things that are totally useless.

HostIt's a bit scary to think that a group of five ton predators can just decide to start a new hobby on a whim. Does this mean they could just start doing anything if one whale gets a weird idea?

GuestIn a way, yes. Their brains are huge and they're very good at problem solving, but they also have a strong need to fit in with their pod. They have these deep social bonds, and doing what the rest of the group is doing is a huge part of being an orca. Whether it's a certain way of hunting or a certain way of playing, they're constantly looking to each other for cues on how to act. We're only just starting to realize how much of their life is shaped by these passing trends rather than just pure instinct.

HostThe most puzzling part for me is still the choice of a salmon, because out of all the things in the ocean to play with, a dead fish seems like the messiest option.

GuestThe choice of that specific fish might remain a secret that only that first whale ever truly understood.

HostThose fish hats show us that even the smartest hunters in the sea have days where they just want to play with their food.