A Sunfish Got ‘Lonely’ When Its Aquarium Closed for Renovations. Then, Staff Found a Creative Way to Cheer It Up

Most sunfish spend their days swimming slowly through the world’s oceans, feasting on jellyfish or soaking up the sun near the water’s surface. In the wild, these behemoth creatures—which can tip the scales at 6,000 pounds—are typically spotted alone.

But at least one of them seems to appreciate a little company. In Japan, an ocean sunfish appeared “lonely” after its aquarium shut down for renovations, staff said—so they created human cut-outs to cheer the animal up, reports the Guardian’s Justin McCurry.

In February last year, the Kaikyokan aquarium in Shimonoseki got a sunfish from the southern coast of Kochi in the Pacific Ocean. The goofy-looking, 60-pound creature—with its round body, gaping mouth and large eyes—quickly became a hit with aquarium visitors.

For months, the sunfish—nicknamed “Mambo”—seemed to be adapting to its new life in captivity. Mambo was known to swim up to the side of its tank when humans approached and generally seemed curious about its new human companions.

But, in December, the aquarium closed for a six-month renovation project. Not long after, staffers noticed the sunfish seemed unwell. The creature no longer wanted to eat its provided jellyfish and began rubbing up against the tank windows.

At first, they suspected the fish was suffering from digestive issues or was bothered by the loud noises and vibrations coming from the construction work. But then one caretaker suggested the sunfish might simply be lonely. Without visitors stopping by its tank throughout the day, the solitary creature might have begun feeling a little blue.

Though the aquarists were initially dubious, they decided to take a chance and run with the theory. They taped photos of human faces to the side of the fish’s enclosure, then hung up some uniforms to create the illusion of visitors.

Now, it seems their quirky solution might have worked. The next day, the sunfish began eating again and seemed more content overall.

The aquarium’s social media posts about this unusual remedy have racked up millions of views, likes and comments.

“We were skeptical but decided to do anything we could,” Moe Miyazawa, an aquarist at the facility, tells the Associated Press’ Mari Yamaguchi. “I knew [the sunfish] was looking at us when we were placing them, but I never thought it would start eating the next day.” Staff have also been making an effort to visit the sunfish more frequently and offer some friendly waves through the windows.

Humans are far from the only creatures that feel lonely or benefit from social interactions. In 2023, scientists made headlines after they taught solitary pet parrots to video chat with each other—and revealed that the birds seemed to love the social interactions. And, during the Covid-19 lockdowns, the Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo put out a call for volunteers to video chat with its spotted garden eels, which had reportedly grown shy from the lack of human interaction.

As for Mambo, caretakers hope the fish will cheer up for good once construction wraps up and visitors are allowed to return this summer.

“I hope many people take interest in the sunfish, and when the renovation work is finished, I’d like visitors to wave to it in front of the tank,” Mai Kato, a staff member at the aquarium, tells the Mainichi Shimbun.