2.1 | Ethics statement
This study was conducted in accordance with the ‘Agreement of the Dolphin Watching Operation around Mikura Island’. The research protocol was approved by Mikurashima Village, permitting us access to the protected areas of the sea around Mikura Island under the ‘Agreement of the Rational Use of Nature Conservation Promotion Area at Mikura Island’. We obtained approval from the Mikurashima Tourism Association to use individual identification data and fecal samples for this study (Approved number: No. 20220726). We followed the ‘Guidelines to Study Wild Animals’ of the Wildlife Research Center of Kyoto University to minimize disturbance.