30 June 2014

Fabienne and dolphins



OceanCare communication expert Fabienne Boller recording dolphin data in the Gulf of Corinth.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Striped dolphin, morning light 1



(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

Gentle touch



Gentle pectoral fin touches are highly appreciated social messages among striped dolphins.

(Top photo by M. Ferreira Da Silveira, bottom by N. Santostasi)

Mother and calf



(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

29 June 2014

Two couples at sea



DBC research associate Nathan Furey with wife Laura, Giovanni and Silvia on a boat trip in the Gulf of Corinth.

(Photo by M. Ferreira Da Silveira)

28 June 2014

Monk seal in the Gulf of Corinth



A rare sighting of a monk seal Monachus monachus in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece. This individual was encountered on 23 June 2014 off Agios Nikolaos, a cape between the Bay of Itea and the Bay of Antikira.

Recent evidence of occasional monk seal occurrence in the Gulf of Corinth was reported in a conference abstract by Azzolin et al. (2014). The text can be found HERE.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Blue eyes



The blue eye of a bowriding striped dolphin.

(Photo by N. Santostasi, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

27 June 2014

Nina with dolphins



Nina Santostasi and striped dolphins in the Gulf of Corinth.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

26 June 2014

Dolphins and cruise ship



Three bottlenose dolphins surface as a cruise ship approaches the port of Itea, in the Gulf of Corinth.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

25 June 2014

Closed eyes



A male striped dolphin closes his eyes while enjoying the close contact with other dolphins.

(Photo by M. Ferreira Da Silveira, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

Dolphin Biology People: Mariana



Mariana Ferreira Da Silveira is from Salvador, Brazil. She holds a B.A. in Marine Biology at Texas A&M University. In June 2013, Mariana participated in the 1st Marine Biology Field Course in Galaxidi, Greece. Soon afterwards, she was involved in the management of the 1990–2013 bottlenose dolphin photo-identification catalogue stored at Bernd Würsig's Laboratory in Galveston, TX. In 2014 Mariana joined the OceanCare / Dolphin Biology & Conservation team for three months to work as a research assistant. She is a Member of Tri Beta National Biological Honor Society and she received three Academic Scholarships from TAMUG.

(Photo by C. Goultidis, Galaxidi, Greece)

24 June 2014

Striped energy



A striped dolphin surfaces on a slightly wavy sea.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

23 June 2014

Baby turtle


A baby Hermann's tortoise Testudo hermanni encountered while walking the ancient Delphi-Kirra path.

(Photo by S. Piwetz)

On a car trip



Silvia, Mariana and Nina being silly on a car trip.

(Photos by S. Piwetz)

21 June 2014

2nd Marine Biology Field Course



Texas A&M University students attending the 2nd Marine Biology Field Course record striped dolphin data in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Three researchers



Sarah Piwetz, Silvia Bonizzoni and Eeyore performing data analysis at the Galaxidi Study Center.

(Photo by N. Santostasi, Galaxidi, Greece)

20 June 2014

At Hotel Ganimede



Silvia, Chrisoula, Giovanni and Evi in the courtyard of Hotel Ganimede, Galaxidi.

(Photo by B. Würsig)

18 June 2014

Bottlenose dolphins and monastery



Bottlenose dolphins surface near the uninhabited monastery of Agios Nikolaos, in the Bay of Itea.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

17 June 2014

Nina and Silvia



DBC researchers Nina Luisa Santostasi and Silvia Bonizzoni at Hosios Loukas, Greece.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)

Striped or common?



An individual with intermediate striped dolphin / short-beaked common dolphin pigmentation and morphology surfaces in the Gulf of Corinth.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

16 June 2014

14 June 2014

Research assistants



Our lovely research assistants: Mariana Ferreira Da Silveira (left) and Nina Luisa Santostasi (right).

(Photo by S. Piwetz, Galaxidi, Greece)

Dead sea turtle adrift



Yesterday, while tracking the movements of a group of bottlenose dolphins from the boat and (through a theodolite) from land, we found a dead sea turtle Caretta caretta floating adrift. There was no sign showing the possible cause of mortality.

(Photos by N. Santostasi, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

11 June 2014

Aggressive male bottlenose dolphins



Male bottlenose dolphins engaging in aggressive behaviour. Blood streams are visible in some of these photos.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

Male fight



Male bottlenose dolphins chasing each other and biting hard.

(Photos by S. Bonizzoni, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

Theodolite tracking in Galaxidi



Sarah Piwetz teaching a theodolite tracking field class to Texas A&M University students, from a station above the Galaxidi Marine Farm.

(Photos by G. Bearzi and M. Ferreira Da Silveira, Galaxidi, Greece)

10 June 2014

Road crossing



Yesterday, while driving in the area of Galaxidi, we found three large turtles crossing the road!

(Photo by G. Bearzi)

09 June 2014

05 June 2014

Bernd and Mel in Galaxidi



Our friends Bernd and Melany Würsig at the Galaxidi Study Center, waiting for a new Marine Biology Field Course to begin.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)