Niamh Shackleton
A lonely dolphin could be behind the attacks on several beach-goers in Japan.
While it's usually sharks that people are warned to be wary of when visiting the beach, people who have taken a trip to the Wakasa Bay area (home to some of the country's most beautiful beaches) in recent years have been told to steer clear of dolphins swimming in the waters.
Typically dolphins are friendly and sociable animals, but experts believe a singular bottlenose dolphin could be behind a spate of attacks at the Japanese seaside resort.
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According to The New York Times, 21 people reported injuries from dolphin attacks along a stretch of beaches near the town of Echizen in 2022, while a further 10 people were reported to have been injured last year.
This year another 18 people have been hurt, BBC News reports, including one child who needed several stitches.
Footage analyzed by experts has led them to believe that one dolphin is behind the attacks.
Tadamichi Morisaka, a cetology professor at Japan's Mie University, explained: "It is reasonable to assume that it is the same individual, as the wounds on the tail fin are similar to those of the dolphins seen off the coast last year, and it is rare for dolphins, which normally move in groups, to be alone for such a long time."
As to why the dolphin in question has been uncharacteristically lashing out at beach-goers, it's said that it could be down to the fact that it's 'horny and lonely'.
"Dolphins, when they are mating, can be very wild," Putu Mustika, a lecturer and marine researcher at James Cook University in Australia, told The New York Times.
Backing this theory, Professor Morisaka said he may have observed the dolphin 'pressing his genitals against people' in 2022 and 2023 footage.
Mustika added that the animals can inadvertently harm humans when acting out mating behaviors because of their sheer strength.
Dr Simon Allen, a biologist and principal investigator with the Shark Bay Dolphin Research project, has spoken further about dolphin's strength and how it can lead to humans being injured.
"Bottlenose dolphins are highly social animals and this sociality can be expressed in very physical ways," he said. "Just as in humans and other social animals, hormonal fluctuations, sexual frustration or the desire to dominate might drive the dolphin to injuring the people it interacts with. Since they are such powerful animals, this can lead to serious injury in humans."
While sexual frustration may play a part in the attacks, it's also been noted that beach-goers trying to touch the dolphin may have aggravated it which caused the mammal to lash out.