Killer whale spotted balancing a salmon on its head

A killer whale was spotted balancing a salmon on its head. It’s not clear what the behavior means, but orcas were observed doing the same thing in the 1980s.

A killer whale was spotted balancing a salmon on its head earlier this fall near the coastline in Washington state, surprising scientists and intriguing orca watchers. 

The critically endangered southern resident killer whale was photographed with a “salmon hat” in late October near Point No Point, just off the northern tip of Washington’s Kitsap Peninsula, according to the Orca Network, a nonprofit focused on the species’ conservation.    

The whale is known to marine biologists and whale watchers as J27, though it is also called Blackberry. Groups like the Orca Network track sightings of individual whales.

Orcas were previously spotted sporting salmon on their heads in the late 1980s, said Deborah Giles, science and research director of Wild Orca, a nonprofit conservation and research group. 

“It’s something that seemingly popped up out of nowhere in the 80s,” she said, adding that the behavior then apparently faded away for decades. It’s not clear what the behavior means, she said. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/killer-whale-orca-salmon-head-rcna182697

---