Wreckfish under our inflatable

A juvenile wreckfish hides under our inflatable.

Wreckfish Polyprion americanus often congregate below floating objects when young, whereas adults live on the bottom and prefer to inhabit caves and shipwrecks. They can grow up to about 2 m and weigh 100 kg.

Also see THIS POST.

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

Not a shark

An adult bottlenose dolphin surfacing off Eratini.

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

Fast travelling

An excited group of striped dolphins travels fast off the northern coast of the Peloponnese.

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

Late evening jump

A young bottlenose dolphin jumps in the late evening light.

(Photo by G. Bearzi, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

After 9 PM

Observing bottlenose dolphins after 9 PM, when individual photo-identification becomes a real challenge.

(Photos by G. Bearzi, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

When life is good 2

Laura and Benedetta observing a striped dolphin from our small fibreglass boat.  

(Photo by G. Bearzi, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

When life is good 1

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

At sea with our friends

At sea with striped dolphins and our dear friends: does it get any better?

(Photos by G. Bearzi and S. Bonizzoni)

Basilico 2

We found that Basilico nicely complements our dolphin research team.

(Photos by G. Bearzi)

One dolphin

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

Leaving the port

Silvia and Lavinia leaving the port before a survey.

(Photo by A. Bond-Buhl)

Cordenons friends

With our good old friends, school teachers from Cordenons, Italy, who came to visit us together with their sons.

(Photos by G. Bearzi and M. Rossi)

At the sky

Striped dolphin aiming at the sky.

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

Ampelos view 2

View from the island of Ampelos, in the Bay of Antikyra, Gulf of Corinth, Greece.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Front view

Front view of a striped dolphin's leap.

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

Lavinia back to Venice

Our dear Lavinia left today, after almost three months spent studying dolphins in the Gulf of Corinth. She will be back in a month, and then until the end of the research season.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Breathing

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

On our console

Items on our boat's console.

(Photos by S. Bonizzoni and M. Ferreira Da Silveira)

Encounter with longline fishermen

An encounter with longline fishermen Iannis and Dimitris in the middle of the Gulf of Corinth. They caught a bluefin tuna.

(Photos by L. Eddy and S. Bonizzoni)

Monk seal in the Gulf of Corinth 2

This Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus was encountered yesterday in the Bay of Itea. This individual, identified through photos of its pigmentation pattern, was observed in the same general area in June and July 2014.

Also see THIS POST.

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

Sidelong look

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

Lecturing at the field station

Giovanni at the Galaxidi field station, making a presentation on how the perception of whales and dolphins has been shifting through time, and the relevant implications for conservation.

(Photos by S. Bonizzoni)

Pinkish belly

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

Basilico

Silvia with our newly-adopted cat Basilico.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)

Mixed-species group

Homo sapiens and Stenella coeruleoalba.

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

Seaside sofa

Lavinia, Ursula and Christof on a seaside sofa.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Bottlenose out

A bottlenose dolphin jumps off the northern coast of the Gulf of Corinth, Greece.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Group at sea

Silvia and Lavinia with our research volunteers.

(Photos by L. Eddy and S. Bonizzoni)

With dolphins

(Photo by L. Eddy, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

Awe

A striped dolphin surfaces just in front of our inflatable.

(Photos by L. Eddy, Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

Free and unaware

Unaware of the crisis and the tremors of Europe as a unity and solidarity project, these striped dolphins enjoy their freedom in the Greek and European blue waters of the Gulf of Corinth.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Mariana, Maria Bonita and Lampião

Lovely Mariana (right in the photo), whose smile has been cheering us up for six weeks, is flying back to her homeland Brazil. Maria Bonita and Lampião, on our fridge, are eagerly waiting for her return next year.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)

Perfect fins

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

Perfect setting

Striped dolphin surfacing sequence. A perfect setting for individual photo-identification.

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

Sounds of the Gulf

Research volunteers Rita Borner and Roman Bolli, while listening to striped dolphin vocalizations.

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

Under the mountain

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

Xiphias and Pennella

This juvenile swordfish Xiphias gladius was infested with ectoparasites Pennella sp. These copepods are not uncommon on large fish as well as on whales and dolphins. This sworfish performed several breaches, possibly an attempt of getting rid of ectoparasites that, unfortunately, don't detach so easily

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

In the field

Silvia in action on the inflatable.

(Photo by M. Ferreira Da Silveira)

Energy surplus

This energetic female striped dolphin performed about a dozen consecutive breaches.

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

Close encounter

OceanCare intern Roman Bolli sets his GoPro camera as a striped dolphin jumps just a few centimeters from our inflatable.

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

Field station briefing

Reviewing navigation effort and dolphin movements at the Galaxidi field station.

(Photos by G. Bearzi)

Four

Four bottlenose dolphins off the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Corinth, Greece.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Greece, we stand by you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuWAGT9ZkYE

Dolphin smile

The famous ironic smile of a bottlenose dolphin. As noted by Lori Marino, such smile is not a smile at all but an anatomical illusion arising from the configuration of their jaws, making people believe that the animals are always content ("Sorry: Dolphins Aren’t Smiling", Reader's Digest Magazine February 2014). Yet, this particular young animal not only looked content, but he probably was: free, undisturbed, and surrounded by group members and friends.

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

After a sighting

Silvia, Giovanni, Mariana and Lavinia after a bottlenose dolphin sighting.

(Photos by L. Eddy and M. Ferreira Da Silveira)

Mobula mobular in the Gulf of Corinth

This individual, most likely a giant devil ray Mobula mobular, was observed on 3 July in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece. Its estimated "wingspan" was 2 m. A second individual was spotted in the same area. It is our first observation of this species in the Gulf since systematic surveys started in 2009.

The photos show the tip of one of the ray's pectoral fins.

The Mediterranean population of the giant devil ray is classified as Endangered in the IUCN Red List.

(Photos by S. Bonizzoni)

Unmarked

A striped dolphin with a somewhat anomalous pigmentation and no dorsal fin markings.

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

Waterpainting

Striped dolphin painting with water.

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

Off Eratini

Bottlenose dolphins off Eratini, Gulf of Corinth, Greece.

(Photos by S. Bonizzoni)

Striped dolphins socializing

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