On April 3, as many as 32 dolphins were reported stranded on a beach on Japan’s Boso Peninsula.
Surfers and local authorities worked together for an emergency rescue operation to save the dolphins.
Many dolphins had already died before being carried back into the sea.
The stranded dolphins are said to be melon-headed whales with approximately 2 meters length.
On April 4, additional eight melon-headed whale dolphins were discovered stranded along the coastlines of Isumi and Ichinomiya in Chiba Prefecture.
Local authorities confirmed that several of the newly found dolphins were dead.
Experts from Japan’s National Museum of Nature and Science will study the dead dolphins.
Melon-headed whales live in warmer parts of the ocean but move north in the spring for sardines and other fish.
It is believed that the dolphins entered cold water and their bodies were temporarily paralyzed before being swept onto the beach by strong winds.