Blow

The air exhaled by this bottlenose dolphin leaves a cloud of mist.

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

Bruno and Lavinia

Prof. Bruno Cozzi with his former veterinary sciences student Lavinia Eddy.

(Photo by G. Bearzi, Galaxidi, Greece)

Surfacing

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

Staff

The staff during a lecture at the field station.

(Photos by M. Würsig)

Bruno with dolphins

Bruno Cozzi, Professor of Veterinary Anatomy at the University of Padua and President of the Italian Society of Natural Sciences, during today's sighting of striped dolphins. Bruno and wife Elena spent a few days at our field station in Galaxidi.

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

Away from the sea

Silvia and Giovanni on a day off at Meteora, away from the sea.

(Photo by B. Würsig)

In the wake

Striped dolphin playing in the wake of our boat.

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

Agreement with University of Bologna

Dolphin Biology and Conservation has stipulated a formal agreement with Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, Italy, to allow for the participation of students in internship and thesis programmes.

The first student from the University of Bologna to participate in this programme is Laura Malaguti, who is going to spend 1.5 months at our field station in Galaxidi, Greece, in the context of her M.Sc. in Marine Biology.

Heart-shaped flukes

The abnormal flukes of this individual, nicknamed 'Codo', are particularly small and rounded. Codo, a female, has been tracked in the Gulf of Corinth since 2009 and is one of the individuals most frequently observed in this area. One may wonder how Codo can swim with such reduced heart-shaped flukes, but she manages very well. Her tail stock has grown large and robust, and while Codo does not jump out of the water, she behaves like a normal bottlenose dolphin and is quite sociable.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Bay of Itea, Greece)

More city dwellers

Bottlenose dolphins off Kirra, Greece.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

City dwellers

Bottlenose dolphin mother and calf observed yesterday off the coast of Itea, Greece.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Quicksilver

Striped dolphin fin in a quicksilvery sea.

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

Giovanni and Lavinia

Giovanni and Lavinia during a dolphin sighting.

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

Bottlenose dolphin breaching

Bottlenose dolphin breaching off the Gulf of Corinth's northern coast.

(Photos by S. Bonizzoni)

Binoculars

Eva being funny.

(Photo by S. Piwetz)

Striped dolphin portrait

Striped dolphin photo by Bernd Würsig (Gulf of Corinth, Greece).

After the field course 2

Mel, Silvia, Lavinia, Sarah, Giovanni, Silvia and Bernd at Lake Plastiras, Greece.

(Top photo by B. Würsig, bottom by S. Piwetz)

After the field course 1

Giovanni, Silvia, Sarah and Lavinia at the Agios Stefanos Monastery, Meteora, Greece.

(Photo by B. Würsig)

Mother and calf

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

Theodolite tracking 2

Eva at the theodolite tracking station above the Galaxidi Marine Farm.

(Photo by S. Piwetz, Galaxidi, Greece)

Theodolite tracking 1

Texas A&M University students practicing theodolite tracking from the coast.

(Photo by S. Piwetz, Galaxidi, Greece)

Early calf

One of the first striped dolphin calves observed this year.

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

Lavinia and Eva

Our wonderful field assistants for the Marine Biology Field Course, Lavinia Eddy and Eva Greene, at the castle of Nafpaktos, Greece.

(Photo by S. Piwetz)

Bernd and Melany Würsig

Dr. Bernd Würsig and wife Mel at the castle of Nafpaktos, Greece.

(Photo by S. Piwetz)

On the Delphi-Kirra path

Marine Biology students and DBC staff members on the Delphi-Kirra ancient path.

(Photo by B. Würsig)

Striped dolphin and TAMU students

Texas A&M University students during a striped dolphin sighting.

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

Visiting the Galaxidi Marine Farm

Texas A&M University students on a guided visit to the Galaxidi Marine Farm.

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

The plight of Mediterranean common dolphins

A short article by Giovanni Bearzi, appeared in the June 2016 issue of OpenScience EU.

To download and read the article CLICK HERE

Watching dolphins from shore

Eva and Silvia watching bottlenose dolphins with Texas A&M University students, from a cliff above the Galaxidi Marine Farm.

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

Striped dolphin mourning a dead conspecific 2

In all photos of the mourning dolphin, we noted that the individual alive keeps looking down at her/his dead companion, and never looks up at our boat. Dolphins lack muscles controlling facial expression, but eyes do reveal their feelings.

(Photos by S. Bonizzoni)

Striped dolphin mourning a dead conspecific

This striped dolphin was observed yesterday, mourning a dead companion. The research team and the students on board were deeply impressed and saddened by the expressions of grief by the individual alive. We filmed, recorded underwater sounds and interviewed students -- to be featured in a future video.

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

Breaching striped dolphins

Today's encounter with striped dolphins during the Marine Biology Course held annually in the Gulf of Corinth. These photos, taken at the same moment from each of our two boats, portray a breach performed by the same individual.

(Top photo by S. Bonizzoni, bottom by G. Bearzi)

Bernd and Sarah

Prof. Bernd Würsig with his student and Ph.D. candidate Sarah Piwetz, at the monastery of Hosios Loukas.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)

Class time

Class time at the field station, during Texas A&M University's Marine Biology Field Course.

(Photos by S. Bonizzoni)

Salp bloom

Silvia with Prof. Bernd Würsig and his marine biology students, observing a salp (Salpa maxima)—a tunicate species which is currently blooming in the Gulf of Corinth.

(Photos by G. Bearzi)

Above the sea of olives

Bernd, Mel, Silvia and Eva with Texas A&M University students above the "sea of olives" (one of the largest olive groves in Europe). Itea, the Gulf of Corinth and the Peloponnese coast are visible in the background.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)

Bowriding

Striped dolphins bowriding.

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

Field briefing

A briefing at the field station before the beginning of the annual Marine Biology Field Course. Left to right: Sarah, Bernd, Lavinia, Eva, Mel and Silvia.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)

Peloponnese dolphin

A striped dolphin off the northern coast of the Peloponnese.

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

Cooking

Eva, Lavinia and Silvia after a cooking session.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)

Flukes

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