Pelagia @ Pelagos

For those who don't know me well... my name is Pelagia and I love the Pelagos (the sea)! I am officially a Marine Scientist, since I have completed my MSc in the University of Glasgow in Marine System Science, with merit! :) I will start writing about my volunteering experience in Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute which so far has given me so much knowledge about cetaceans in Greece.

Pelagos is a is a scientific non-profit organisation located in Athens - Greece, studying the conservation of cetaceans in the Mediterranean and mostly those that live in the Greek seas. The main goal of Pelagos Institute is to inform and educate as many people as possible to Greek natural heritage and especially dolphins and whales. During my volunteering experience in the past month, I have learned a lot about cetaceans and the research methods that are used, which help us know so much about those magnificent animals. Dr. Alexandros Frantzis and Voula Alexiadou have both been very welcoming. I have been learning so much from their experience and knowledge on the field. The amount of work and effort they have been doing all those years is of great importance; therefore I believe that the world should know more about it. During the last few weeks I have only helped a little with the identification of Cephalopod beaks, highly representing in the diet of Sperm Whales. Cephalopod beaks and other hard prey remains are frequently used to study the diet of cetaceans. It is amazing how we can use the beaks to identify certain species and calculate the squid's size. So far I have been trying to identify the differences in the lower and upper jaws of possible families: Histioteuthis, Octopoteuthis, Ancistroteuthis, Onychoteuthis and/or Chiroteuthis. It has been a great experience, while learning so much and I will be updating my blog with more exiting facts I discover every month. ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>><> ><> ><> My cetacean observation: Common short beaked dolphins - Zakynthos island - Ionian sea, Pegasus cruise, location: Gulf of Laganas, Date: 24/07/2010, Time: 16.00 ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>><> ><> ><> ><> ><> Any questions?? I'll be more than happy to answer them!! Just feel free to contact me through this blog! Cheers! :) ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> References: Pelagos Institute website - A.Frantzis, G.Paximadis, V.Alexiadou ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>