On August 13, the Japan Coast Guard issued a warning on social media that several people on the beach in Fukui Prefecture were injured by dolphin bites. Although authorities are warning people to stay away, experts say the bite could be a sign of a lonely aquatic mammal just trying to make friends.
“Wild dolphins can harm people, and there has been a series of incidents since last year,” the coast guard wrote. “If you see a dolphin, get out of the water immediately, don’t approach, and don’t feed it. Swimming in the sea is only allowed on beaches that are open for the season.”
Kyodo News reported that 18 people have been injured so far this summer, and that a single 8-meter (2.5-meter-long) Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin may be responsible.
Tadamichi Morisaka, a dolphin expert at Japan’s Mie University, told Nature that biting is common among bottlenose dolphins in the wild. Nibbles are a way to maintain relationships, so “in the mind of this dolphin, it may have built a good relationship with people,” Morisaka said.
So far, no one has been seriously injured, with multiple bites causing cuts that occasionally require stitches. The lack of stamina is a sign that the dolphin is lonely and looking for “some kind of interaction,” Morisaka said.
“We have seen that this dolphin just comes to the sea, bites if there are people, then wanders around again,” he said. “If he really wanted to attack, he could have come and personally cut down. But he keeps biting at dolphin levels, so it’s more likely an act of friendship than a full-blown attack.”
According to Morisaka, dolphins usually live in tightly knit pods, but it’s not unusual for individuals to leave their pod and go off on their own. He also warned that the dolphin may become aggressive in its attempts to claim dominance, which could be very difficult to injure people due to the size and speed of this animal.
Bottlenose dolphins can have a fearsome bite, as their mouths are lined with up to 100 sharp conical teeth. While great white sharks and orcas make the headlines, it’s not uncommon for dolphins to be violent towards humans, and Japan has been a hot spot in recent years. In 2023, at least six people were injured while swimming in the coastal waters, including one man who suffered broken ribs. Last year, several other swimmers were bitten, including one who required a hospital visit.
Incidents of violence are not limited to wild dolphins. In 2022, a dolphin attacked a trainer while playing at the Miami Seaquarium. In 2019, a 10-year-old British girl was dragged underwater by captive dolphins in Mexico, suffering from cuts, bruises and bite marks.
Despite their playful reputation, and stories of dolphins acting as lifesavers for people in danger at sea, it is important to remember that these are still wild animals whose behavior is unpredictable. That might turn on some notable weirdos, but for the rest of us, it’s best to step back and admire the creatures from afar.
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