Salmon hat

Pods of Orcas in Puget Sound were observed swimming at the surface of the water balancing dead salmon on their heads, in late 2024. This behaviour was previously documented in 1987.

The reason for this behaviour, which has rapidly spread from pod to pod, is unknown, with scientists speculating that it may be a response to abundance of food and perhaps a recalled memory from the youth of older whales in the pods. The spread of the behaviour is an example of a meme in the original sense of the word, which originated in The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins.