[imagesource:pickpik]

A very lonesome and lusty bottlenose dolphin in Japan’s Fukui Prefecture is being blamed for a spate of dolphin attacks on swimmers in the area.

Researchers believe he may be particularly lonely, having been separated from a pod, turning to people to get his fill.

Since 2022, more than 45 people have been injured in the area by said dolphin. According to NBC News, Japanese news service NHK reported last week that a man had been bitten on both hands by a dolphin while swimming at a beach in the city of Tsuruga. The man was the 18^th person to be bitten by a dolphin in the area since July 21.

Based on unique fin markings captured on film and in video, it is believed that many of the incidents are linked to a single male bottlenose dolphin.

That’s one rowdy sea mammal.

Due to their inherently social nature, bottlenose dolphins are rarely seen without the company of their pod. However, this lone dolphin’s solitary swim has raised alarm among marine researchers, who suggest that this unusual behaviour could be a heartbreaking result of loneliness and deep sexual frustration, stemming from its isolation from the familiar bonds of its pod.

Tadamichi Morisaka, a dolphin ecologist at Mie University in Tsu, Japan, told Nature.com that playful biting is a common way for male bottlenose dolphins to banter with each other, almost always living in pairs and groups.

“This includes behaviors like chasing each other and rubbing the other dolphin with their pectoral fins – which is thought to signal fondness – and even sexual behaviors, such as pressing their penises against each other,” Morisaka said, adding that “Gentle biting is one of these pro-social behaviors. So the dolphin in Fukui is acting like he’s playing with a male pairmate, but with humans instead.”

Japan is notorious for its loneliness epidemic, with folks turning to seemingly strange tactics to feel the warmth of another person, like hiring a cuddle partner or going to a maid’s cafe to be tended to. It seems, even the sea creatures are feeling the woes of isolation there.

James Cook University researcher Putu Mustika said, however, that dolphins can also become aggressive when exhibiting mating behaviours and may misinterpret human interactions.

In response to the increasing attacks on swimmers, officials have increased lifeguard patrols in the area and reduced swimming hours to try and reduce human interaction with the lonely marine mammal.

[source:usatoday]