19 December 2017

Newborn calf



An adult striped dolphin with her newborn calf.

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

23 November 2017

Whales and dolphins in Pordenone, Italy



Giovanni's seminar in Pordenone, held yesterday, focused on shifting perceptions of whales and dolphins over time, and the reasons why it is worth studying and protecting these animals. Thank you Guido Perin (President of Nature Society 'Silvia Zenari', Pordenone) and Umberto Chalvien (Director of Museum of Natural Sciences, Pordenone) for organising the event.

19 November 2017

Delfini e Balene a Pordenone



22 novembre ore 18:00

Ex Convento di San Francesco, Via della Motta, Pordenone

Delfini e balene: mostri da massacrare o esseri senzienti da tutelare?

Attraverso immagini di grande impatto visivo, Giovanni Bearzi illustrerà gli stupefacenti cambiamenti che hanno trasformato il nostro modo di percepire i cetacei. Per secoli "pesci" mostruosi e maligni, animali nocivi da sterminare, prede; oggi "giganti gentili", simpatici cugini acquatici dalle mirabili capacità intellettive, esseri senzienti. Un percorso codificato in termini moderni da pensatori del calibro di Jeremy Bentham e Charles Darwin, che sta entrando a far parte del pensiero scientifico e del sentire comune (con molte contraddizioni).

L'evolversi di questa "biofilia marina" sarà in grado di rallentare il degrado ambientale e la perdita di biodiversità? Di certo alcune popolazioni di cetacei sono state decimate e versano in grave pericolo, anche nei nostri mari. Come è possibile evitarne la scomparsa?

Bearzi, veneziano residente a Cordenons, svolge ricerche sui cetacei del Mediterraneo da trent'anni—di solito da piccole imbarcazioni. Parlerà dello studio dei cetacei in natura, spiegando i suoi metodi di indagine preferiti e come le informazioni acquisite su campo possano contribuire alla tutela di questi affascinanti mammiferi marini.

16 November 2017

Second seminar at the Department of Marine Biology, Chioggia



Today Silvia gave our second seminar at the Department of Marine Biology in Chioggia, Italy. She talked about "Modelling the spatial distribution and habitat use of cetaceans". Our gratitude goes to professors Carlotta Mazzoldi and Matteo Griggio, and to the very interested students.

10 November 2017

Basking shark in Chioggia



The remarkable basking shark Cetorhinus maximus exposed at the Department of Marine Biology, University of Padua at Chioggia. A totally harmless plankton-eating shark, it is the second largest living fish after the whale shark.

Learn more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basking_shark

(Photo by S. Bonizzoni)

09 November 2017

"Dolphins, Fisheries and Aquaculture" in Chioggia



Today Giovanni gave a seminar on "Dolphins, Fisheries and Aquaculture" at the Department of Marine Biology, University of Padua at Chioggia, Italy. Thank you Carlotta Mazzoldi and Matteo Griggio for the invitation and the warm welcome. Also thanks to the students and all those who attended!

31 October 2017

Stefano and Silvia



Stefano Agazzi with Silvia at Kalamos, Greece (July 2005), in one of the countless moments of true joy we were lucky to share with him, because of him.

(Photo by G. Bearzi)

29 October 2017

Impacts of Marine Mammal Tourism



A new Springer book—Ecotourism's Promise and Peril: A Biological Evaluation—features three photos of dolphin-boat interactions taken by us in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece, within a chapter by Maddalena Bearzi. Maddalena's chapter is titled "Impacts of Marine Mammal Tourism".

25 October 2017

Close to mom



A striped dolphin calf stretches her pectoral fin to keep contact with her mother.

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

17 October 2017

01 October 2017

Grey herons at dawn



At dawn, grey herons Ardea cinerea fly above the Bay of Itea.

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

30 September 2017

Dolphins and fish farmers



Bottlenose dolphins look for prey near the Galaxidi fish farm, while workers are busy doing their job.

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

29 September 2017

Dolphin and fish farmer



Bottlenose dolphin and Galaxidi fish farmer.

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

27 September 2017

Galaxidi dolphin



A bottlenose dolphin surfaces off Galaxidi.

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

White-headed dolphins



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

26 September 2017

25 September 2017

24 September 2017

Dolphin and cars



Bottlenose dolphin off the coastal road near Kirra.

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

21 September 2017

North of the Peloponnese



Juvenile striped dolphin leaping off the northern coast of the Peloponnese.

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

20 September 2017

Tooth rake marks



Tooth rake marks on the tail stock of this striped dolphin are indicative of intensive 'social' interactions with other individuals.

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

17 September 2017

Raft



A young seagull rests on a polystyrene box.

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

15 September 2017

Tail slapping



A striped dolphin performing a series of tail slaps.

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

11 September 2017

10 September 2017

Flock of shearwaters



A flock of shearwaters resting on a calm September sea. 

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

09 September 2017

08 September 2017

07 September 2017

Dart surfacing



A newborn striped dolphin "dart surfaces" next to adults.

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

04 September 2017

Barnacles on a sea turtle

Barnacles on the carapace of a loggerhead sea turtle.

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

03 September 2017

Approach



Adult striped dolphin approaching our boat.

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

02 September 2017

Display of beauty



Bottlenose dolphin display of beauty in the Bay of Itea.

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

31 August 2017

Intermediate dolphin



Striped dolphin? Common dolphin? A mix of both species?

For information on mixed-species groups in the Gulf of Corinth see THIS ARTICLE.

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

29 August 2017

Pre-splash



A striped dolphin about to breach.

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

28 August 2017

Pale striped dolphin calf



Today we observed a striped dolphin calf with a rather unusual pale brown pigmentation. No idea why that happened, but the calf looked fine, swimming with mom in a group of about 300 (including many other mother-calf pairs).

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

27 August 2017

Bottlenose dolphin bow



A bottlenose dolphin performs a 'bow' (a kind of arched leap) in the Bay of Antikyra, Greece.

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

24 August 2017

22 August 2017

What is this sea turtle doing?



What is this loggerhead sea turtle doing? We saw him perform this unusual behaviour for a while, before diving out of sight. Could it be mating with another sea turtle? We have observed a somewhat similar behaviour involving two mating turtles, but both were partly visible at the surface. In this case we are totally ignorant.

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

18 August 2017

Striped dolphin's dorsal fin



An ideal image for individual photo-identification.

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