Newborns!

Today we saw the first newborns of the 2009 research season in the Amvrakikos Gulf.

What initially started as a sighting of a single individual quickly evolved into one that will stay in our retinas for quite a while.

After about half an hour with this new group, we were amazed to see two newborns approaching our boat up to a few metres.

Aina, our Catalan research assistant, was especially happy. Finally, today, on her last day in Amvrakikos until next September, she was the one who spotted the group!

As I write these lines, Aina is on her way back to Barcelona. I am sure that she still has a smile on her face while recalling the images of this morning.

Newborns are always good news. Their immature way of swimming, surfacing with their chins up besides their mothers, and their foetal creases on both sides giving them a zebra-like appearance, filled us with joy and optimism.

Joan Gonzalvo