Killer whales spotted swimming with dead salmon on their heads, a trend that was popular among killer whales 40 years ago


By

Bryce Bradford

It has been reported that killer whales living off the coast of Puget Sound in Washington state have been observed putting 'dead salmon' on their heads. This behavior of putting dead salmon on their heads was also observed about 40 years ago, and researchers are puzzled by this mysterious behavior.

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In 1987, a group of killer whales off the coast of the northwestern United States was observed carrying dead salmon on their heads for several weeks. Originally, it was only one female who carried it, but after a few weeks, other killer whales in the group started to imitate the behavior. However, this 'dead salmon carrying craze' seems to have passed by 1988, and killer whales carrying salmon on their heads were soon no longer seen.

In the fall of 2024, a 32-year-old male killer whale codenamed 'J27 Blackberry' was photographed off the coast of Washington state carrying a dead salmon on his head.



It's unclear why killer whales place dead salmon on their heads, but Deborah Giles, a researcher into wild killer whales, said: 'The behaviour may be more likely to be related to food availability in a particular location.'

According to Giles, the bay where J27 Blackberry was observed is a place where schools of salmon are actively migrating upstream, and the killer whales that live in the sea are having a hard time finding food. Killer whales are known to be intelligent animals and are also known for being creative with their meals, so it is speculated that the salmon on its head is 'like a hiker's snack.'

In addition, since the number of salmon in the area in 2024 is higher than usual, it has been pointed out that killer whales may be doing this for fun. For example, small whales such as humpback whales and gray whales are often observed 'kelping,' which involves placing seaweed on their heads. It is speculated that the reason humpback whales kelp is not as a survival strategy, but simply because the feel of seaweed is pleasant for humpback whales. In other words, it is possible that the act of placing dead salmon on their heads is a 'cultural phenomenon' for killer whales.


By Scott Kinmartin

'To be honest, we have no idea why this behavior has started again,' Giles said. He plans to use a drone to observe the whales to understand their behavior.

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