Posted on 10/25/2025 8:45:02 PM PDT by Red Badger
Because nothing says "love me please" like a sponge on the head.
No word on whether SpongeBob actually agreed to being used in this way.
Image courtesy of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA)
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”.
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.
male australian humpback dolphin with a sea sponge on its head - It's called fashion sweetie, look it up. Image courtesy of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA)
“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]
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Trans-whale....
Boy, the things a guy will do just to get a little attention from the ladies...
Bubba the Love Sponge...
James Brown felt good.
That guy was awesome.
Beam me up!
Dapper dolphins. How clever!
Dolphin cross-dressers.
LOL!! There used to be a picture here that someone made of Traficant with a curled up furry critter on top of his head. It showed up regularly, back when he was still in Congress.
LOL!! That’s the picture I mentioned in my comment below yours. That’s the one Registered created many years ago. I sure miss him. Wish he’d stuck around. He was the original meme maker.
Hah! Just the first thought in my head when talking about wigs.
Well, wouldn’t you?
I guess the mullet is out of style.
make sure she is sponge worthy before putting that thing on
Looking good fellas!
I’ve seen a bunch of those videos on youtube and they’re just waiting for a benevolent individual to blast ‘em off with a jet sprayer.
Ha!
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