Tethys Photo Show

After two decades and thousands of photos portraying dolphins and whales under all sort of lights, behaviours, situations and landscapes, it was time for Tethys to make sense of the art and beauty behind this work, and not only of the underlying science.

So here comes the Tethys Photo Show.

It is a selection of some of the best photos taken during Mediterranean research campaigns spent studying cetaceans in the Ligurian, Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

The selection includes about 60 photos covering the eight cetacean species regularly found in Mediterranean waters - from the poorly-known Cuvier's beaked whales to the energetic striped dolphins. These images show the spectacular aerial displays of common bottlenose dolphins and short-beaked common dolphins, but also the rare jump of a fin whale, the eye of a Risso’s dolphin about to be scrubbed by a researcher to get a tiny piece of skin for genetic analyses, pilot whales literally surrounding the research boat, sperm whales in the sunset... and more.

A dedicated soundtrack makes the show (about 4 min long) even more pleasant to watch.

This work is meant to be turned into an actual photo exhibition, as soon as funding can be ensured to cover printing and other costs. Until that time comes, let's watch these beautiful photos online!

Silvia Bonizzoni