The dolphins of Taras

An ancient legend says that Taras, the son of the ancient sea god Poseidon, reached a new, unknown land. As soon as he arrived, he saw a dolphin jumping out of the sea and interpreted this event as a sign from his father, indicating that it was the right place to build a new city. Today, this city is called Taranto.

Taras riding a dolphin is still the symbol of the city today. Perhaps Taras never existed, but dolphins did, and today they are widespread along the coast and throughout the Gulf of Taranto, the northernmost part of the Ionian Sea, which washes the coasts of three regions of southern Italy: Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria. This is where I have been working since 2016.

I love this city for so many reasons: sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, and, above all, the contagious passion of some people who fight to preserve Mother Nature.

Some of these people are part of the scientific NGO called JONIAN DOLPHIN CONSERVATION (JDC) which has been studying and protecting cetaceans of the Gulf of Taranto since 2009.

After traveling all over Europe, after an experience studying cetaceans in Madeira, I decided to dedicate my life to cetaceans right here, in Taranto, with the JDC team.

There are around 90 species of cetaceans in the world, including whales, dolphins and porpoises. There are eight of them in the Mediterranean Sea (and a few others occasionally sighted). While doing citizen science and research with the JDC, I sighted five of them.

The first species is the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Dolphins, which are between 2.5 and 3 meters long, usually live along the coast. They are among the most intelligent species on our planet, and due to their proximity to the coastline, they often interact with fishing gear.

Moving from the coast towards the open sea, we can sight another species, whose dimensions are larger than the previous one: the Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus). They are characterized by a unique coloration: newborns are gray, becoming darker over the years, and finally slate gray in adulthood. It's not all! As they grow older, they accumulate so many scars on their bodies that they turn almost white. These scars are mostly caused by social interactions with other Risso's. To date, this species is classified as "Endangered" in the Mediterranean Sea by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

In the same deep habitat of Risso's dolphins, three other species of cetaceans inhabit the Gulf of Taranto. The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is the most abundant cetacean species in the Mediterranean Sea. Small, slender, and very fast dolphins. They are widespread and it is not uncommon to see hundreds of individuals together.

The fourth species is the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), which at first sight differs from the striped dolphin mainly in the livery, with an evident yellow color on the sides. Sadly, they are only sighted a few times. They are the most endangered cetacean species in the Mediterranean Sea. In fact, they too are classified as “Endangered” by the IUCN.

The same classification, "Endangered", in the Mediterranean Sea by the IUCN, for the last species: the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), the largest predator on the planet. Sightings of these large elusive animals are not rare, and they were the subject of my master thesis in Environmental Biology.

Several species of cetaceans are preserved by many authorities around the world, but there are still too many threats that put their survival at risk: chemical and acoustic pollution, plastic, overfishing, and ship traffic. Dolphins and whales are defined as the "keystone species" of their habitats. It means that they play an important, indeed a crucial, role in the survival of marine ecosystems. For this reason, concrete conservation actions are needed to preserve their habitats.

The JDC team, collaborating with important public bodies such as the Department of Biology of the University of Bari and the C.N.R. (National Research Council), has a mission: to study and better understand the world of cetaceans in order to fight for the protection of these incredible marine creatures.

The Gulf of Taranto has been the cradle of ancient legends with cetaceans as protagonists, and nowadays, new fascinating stories are being created. Stories that tell of new heroes fighting for the protection of dolphins and whales. I am part of this story. Join me!

How? Easy. Reduce your plastic consumption. Don't buy tickets to captive whale and dolphin shows. Do your best to buy products from sustainable fishing. Take part just in responsible dolphin and whale watching tours. Together, we can save these animals… to inspire future generations with wonderful stories.