The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week Orca Fashion, Cookie Cannibalism, BEAR ATTACK!!
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Dec 18, 2024 Alex Goldman, a podcast producer known for Reply All and Hyperfixed, joins the conversation to recount the chilling Sankabetsu Brown Bear attack of 1915 in Japan. The hosts also delve into unusual wildlife trends, like orcas adopting salmon as the latest fashion statement. They discuss the peculiar ways altitude affects taste at 30,000 feet, and share humorous hacks for enjoying snacks on flights. Goldman’s stories and the team’s witty banter bring historical events and modern quirks to life in a captivating mix.
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Orca Fashion Trend
- In 1987, a female orca in Puget Sound started a trend by wearing a dead salmon on her nose.
- Other orcas copied her, making "dead fish hats" the cool thing for that summer.
The Return of Fish Hats
- The "dead fish hat" trend among orcas faded quickly but resurfaced in 2024 with a 32-year-old male, J27 Blackberry.
- Researchers are unsure why orcas wear fish, speculating it could be for storing snacks, or because of a plentiful salmon year.
Fish Storage Theories
- Orcas may store fish on their heads as a snack or due to an abundance of salmon.
- They've been observed storing other food under their pectoral fins, suggesting fish are too slippery for that method.