Low leap

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

Superfast

Striped dolphin swimming superfast.

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

Bad skin, good mood

This striped dolphin calf, observed today, had an impressive skin disease on both sides of the body. Still, this baby was quite lively, swimming besides her/his mother and playing around our boat. 

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

Stenella striata and Chiroteuthis veranyi

Yesterday, while following a group of about 150 striped dolphins, we found this fresh squid floating dead at the surface.

It is the 13th time we find this species—Chiroteuthis veranyi—while tracking dolphins, and we think that these deep water invertebrates (found fresh and carrying lesions or amputations) may be a common prey of striped dolphins in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece.

C. veranyi was actually found in the stomach of striped dolphins inspected in Turkey by Öztürk et al. (2007).

(Photos by G. Bearzi)

Take a breath

Striped dolphin breathing.

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

Test run

Our friend Alexis, the Galaxidi mechanic, doing a test run with Silvia after an extensive boat service.

(Photos by G. Bearzi)

Too windy

Too windy for a dolphin survey. Lavinia and Silvia in Agios Vasileios, enjoying an 8 Beaufort wind.

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

Portrait

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

Agios Nikolaos, Galaxidi

Agios Nikolaos, the main church of Galaxidi, as seen from our field station at night.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Jumping calf

A striped dolphin calf performing an acrobatic jump.

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

Rainy

Standing by the inflatable on a rainy day.

(Photo by G. Bearzi, Galaxidi, Greece)

Join us in the field

You can join the researchers in the field for a Dolphin Biology Week. This one-week programme will provide you with opportunities of monitoring dolphins and other fauna in the Gulf of Corinth, together with experienced marine biologists who have been studying Mediterranean dolphins for a long time. The programme includes informal seminars on marine conservation, and data collection during boat surveys.

For information: www.dolphinbiology.org/field/

Exhaling before a jump

Striped dolphin exhaling before a high jump.

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

Surrounded

Striped dolphins and short-beaked common dolphins around our boat.

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

On a mirror-like sea

A beautiful striped dolphin leaps on a mirror-like sea.

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

Evening silhouette

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

Surfacing striped dolphins - 2

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

Surfacing striped dolphins - 1

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

Bowriding a tanker

Striped dolphins bowriding the large wave of a slow-moving tanker.

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

Happy Mother's Day

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

Rare common dolphins

Two short-beaked common dolphins, increasingly rare in the Gulf of Corinth, swim besides our inflatable.

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

Risso's dolphin shark bite

Risso's dolphin "Yaya" showing her impressive (and fully healed) shark bite.

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

Plastic bag trick

Occasionally, the leaf trick may turn into a plastic bag trick – which doesn't look quite as nice.

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

Leaf trick

A trick dolphins enjoy: dragging a seagrass leaf on their dorsal or pectoral fin.

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