Striped dolphins north of Ikaria, just before sunset
The striped dolphins pictured here belong to a large social group consisting of more than 200 individuals. This highly social species always hunts cooperatively, displaying remarkable coordination. They forage in offshore pelagic waters, far from the coast, generally avoiding fishing grounds and fishing gear, with which they rarely interact. The marine area of the Ikaria […]
Marine Mammal Bioacoustics: Investigating the Sounds of Communication
As part of the JJBA Bioacoustics Conference, held in Besançon, France, Archipelagos researchers Elisa Lamberti and Margherita Medina presented the latest findings from our research on the communication sounds of striped dolphins and short-beaked common dolphins in the eastern Aegean Sea. Bioacoustics is an invaluable, non-invasive research tool for understanding the communication, social organization, and […]
A sperm whale breaching in the North Ikaria Trench
Watching a 20-ton sperm whale launch its entire body out of the water is one of the most extraordinary sights the sea can offer. Although sperm whales breach only occasionally, we observe this behaviour from time to time, mainly during periods of intense social activity. These spectacular leaps are thought to be closely linked to […]
Bottlenose Dolphins: Free in the Open Sea or in Captivity?
A. Bottlenose dolphins in the Fourni island complex The bottlenose dolphin is one of the four dolphin species we study in the Greek seas. Yet it is also the species that, even today, continues to suffer at the hands of humans through commercial exploitation in dolphinaria around the world, where more than 3,000 bottlenose dolphins […]
Goose-beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) in the waters of the northeastern Aegean
A relatively little-known and rarely observed marine mammal that inhabits the Greek seas and has been systematically studied by the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation for the past 26 years. It is the only large marine mammal in the Mediterranean that does not undertake seasonal migrations, but instead remains within the same broader marine area […]
Risso’s dolphin
Risso’s dolphin between Chios and Ikaria – captured during today’s survey on board the “Naftilos,” on a spring day in the open sea, just before the northerly winds return to the Aegean Risso’s dolphins are among the least studied and most elusive dolphin species inhabiting our seas. They are the largest dolphin species found in […]
Young Striped Dolphin stranded on the Northern Coast of Samos
A young male striped dolphin was found stranded on the northern coast of Samos following several days of strong northerly winds. Members of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation’s stranding response teams, which remain on constant alert in multiple areas across the Aegean Sea, immediately travelled to the site to conduct an examination. Initial findings […]
The endangered Mediterranean Monk Seal
The Mediterranean monk seal is one of the most endangered mammals in Europe and the rarest seal species in the world. For thousands of years, it was found throughout the Mediterranean and was deeply connected to the myths and legends of coastal communities. Today, the species has undergone a dramatic decline. It is estimated that […]
Photo identification of Sea Turtles
Sea turtles are best known for their presence on nesting beaches during the summer. However, their lives and behaviour in Greek waters throughout the rest of the year remain largely unknown. In the Posidonia seagrass meadows of the Aegean Sea, we frequently encounter sea turtles, primarily loggerhead turtles, but also green turtles. These invaluable underwater […]
Documentary on ‘The Mediterranean’s Hidden Coral’
“The Mediterranean’s Hidden Coral” – Watch the full documentary below (duration: 28 minutes), by China Global Television Network (CGTN). In the first collaboration between the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation and the CGTN television network, this documentary – which has already begun airing internationally – highlights a lesser-known, but extremely important aspect of Greece: the […]
