An aquarium in northeastern Japan hopes to see its black-and-white Commerson's dolphin, the oldest of six such dolphins in the country, give birth after welcoming a 7-year-old male from an aquarium in central Japan earlier this year.
At Sendai Umino-Mori Aquarium in Miyagi Prefecture, Sarah, the 31-year-old female, and Light, the male, can be seen swimming together and appearing to stroke each other with their pectoral fins, attracting fans including from outside the prefecture.
Commerson's dolphins are nicknamed panda dolphins because of the black and white patterns on their bodies. Around 1.5 meters long, the dolphins are found in cold seas in the Strait of Magellan at the tip of South America and around the Kerguelen Islands in the Indian Ocean.
Seventeen Commerson's dolphins came to Japan from Chile in 1987. Today, apart from the pair in Sendai, four are at Toba Aquarium in Mie Prefecture, from where Light came in May.
Sarah was born in the now-closed Marinepia Matsushima Aquarium in Miyagi in 1991 and has successfully given birth three times. Since her partner died in 2019, she had been alone.
Sarah is calm and gentle, while Light is active and curious and plays with a toy, according to Mako Terasawa, who takes care of the dolphins at the Sendai aquarium.
While it is said that breeding at ages above 20 becomes difficult, Terasawa remains hopeful. The two dolphins have "good chemistry," she said.
Terasawa added that she hopes visitors will "see the differences in their personalities" and the way they swim together.
