Male Humpback Dolphins Spotted Wearing Sea Sponge “Wigs” To Woo The Ladies

In a now infamous prank interview, actor Dominic Monaghan once asked fellow Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood, “When will you wear wigs?”. Wood didn’t have a response – but were we to pose the same question about a group of Australian dolphins, it turns out that the answer is “when they want to get down to business with a female”.

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How do we know that? Thanks to scientists with Western Australia’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), who recently spotted male Australian humpback dolphins (Sousa sahulensis) off the state’s northern coast donning sea sponges on their heads.

"They are (the sponges) different shapes and sizes, different colours, but it all seems to be in this one particular area," DBCA senior research scientist Holly Raudino told ABC News.

At a glance, it’d be fair to assume that the sponges had ended up atop their noggins without them knowing, just from encountering ocean debris – like when your dog ends up with a leaf amusingly stuck on their head after rolling about in the yard.

But this unusual headgear is very much intentional, according to the researchers. 

“Despite looking like barristers, these Australian humpback dolphins […] aren’t getting ready for court, their sea sponge wigs are worn to impress the ladies!” said the DBCA in an Instagram post. “Male humpback dolphins wear sea sponges on their heads as offerings to ‘woo’ females, a bit like offering a bunch of flowers.”

Australian humpback dolphins were only officially recognized as their own species back in 2014, after a long and controversial debate over the taxonomy of the Sousa genus. They’re currently classed as vulnerable by the IUCN, with a decreasing population of fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, and scientists have been keeping a close eye on them to help figure out how best to conserve the species.

These dapper dolphins are also not the only marine mammals to don some strange headwear. Back in the summer of 1987, there was a trend among orcas living in Puget Sound of carrying around dead salmon on their heads. 

It’s believed to have been started by a female in K pod – who we’re affectionately dubbing Regina George – with the behavior spreading to her own and three other pods over the course of five to six weeks, before disappearing.

Then, like the return of wide-leg jeans and dad sneakers, the trend came back last November after a 37-year break. The reason for this isn’t so clear as with the humpback dolphins, but that isn’t going to stop us enjoying its return any less.

[H/T: ABC News]