06/20/2026
The ocean's apex predators are reviving a bizarre 1980s retro fashion trend, and marine biologists are completely baffled.
An orca off the coast of Washington State was recently spotted swimming around with a dead salmon perfectly balanced on its head.
This strange headwear craze was first started by a single trendsetting female in 1987. Within weeks, the behavior went viral across three separate pods before vanishing entirely the following year.
Now, nearly four decades later, the salmon hat is suddenly back in style.
Some researchers suspect the trend returns during seasons with exceptionally high food availability, when the whales have plenty of leftovers to play with.
Others think it is just highly intelligent marine mammals sharing an inside joke.
Either way, humanity is officially watching the ocean’s smartest killers participate in a cyclical aquatic fashion trend.