Killer whales bring back bizarre ‘80s fashion trend’ – using dead fish as trendy hats to ‘relive their youth’

Scientists believe killer whales are attempting to relieve their youthfulness by reviving a strange 80s fad.

In the US, the marine animals are sporting dead fish on their heads, implying that even orcas are enslaved to fashion trends.

Experts were perplexed by the strange salmon headdresses in the summer of 1987, and the purpose of the hats remains a mystery almost 40 years later.

In October, dead fish were observed on the heads of orcas swimming in South Puget Sound and off Point No Point in Washington State.

As if nothing had happened, the animals continue to swim around while the dead salmon perches on their heads in amusing photos.

According to experts, those who participated in the movement in the past are rekindling it.

According to New Scientist, “it does seem possible that some individuals that experienced [the behavior] the first time around may have started it again.” Foote is an evolutionary ecologist at the University of Oslo in Norway.

Deborah Giles, a University of Washington orca researcher, expresses similar confusion, writing: “Honestly, your guess is as good as mine.”

The best theory at the moment is that it has to do with the availability of surplus food.

There are reportedly a lot of chum salmon in South Puget Sound right now.

Orcas might just be storing their food for later because there are so many of them drifting around.

However, since scientists can now examine the organisms like never before, this notion might not be accurate.

THE ORIGINAL 1987 TREND

It is believed that a female orca initiated the trend in the summer of 1987 for no apparent reason.

The rest of the pod joined the bandwagon within a few weeks.

The salmon carcasses were transformed into essential fashion pieces.

Experts are now able to record the whales in action, complete with fish hats, thanks to new drone technology that wasn’t accessible in 1987.

Giles went on: “We have observed killer whales who consume mammals carrying big pieces of food beneath their pectoral fin, sort of snuggled in next to their body.

“Over time, we may be able to gather enough information to show that, for instance, one carried a fish for 30 minutes or so, and then he ate it.”

Salmon hats are a perfect example of what scientists refer to as a “fad”—a behavior that is started by one or two people.

Before being dropped, this is then momentarily taken up by others.

After a year, the tendency ceased and would not reappear for several decades.

At the time, there were no established hypotheses as to why this was occurring or how long it may last.

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