Hello,
my name is Dipalo Daniele, I am a 21-year-old boy and I am in my third year of study at the University of Natural Sciences in Modena, the city where I live.
I have a deep love for both nature and animals, but in particular marine biology is my greatest passion, which I hope one day to turn into a job.
That said, when it came time to choose where to do my internship, I had no hesitation in contacting this association of marine biologists in Imperia. My experience at Delfini del Ponente began on 1 May 2023 and immediately gave me strong emotions thanks to the sighting of many cetaceans during the first few days of monitoring trips at sea.
Between fin whales and dolphins, we were also able to admire a particularly rare species, the minke whale, which has not been sighted in the Mediterranean since 2017! But among these giants of the sea, I was also intrigued by the smaller organisms that unfortunately do not receive the proper attention they deserve because it is thanks to them that these areas are so rich in biodiversity. One example is the by-the-wind sailor, Velella velella, a planktonic species belonging to the phylum Cnidaria whose presence is an indicator of water well-being, i.e. synonymous with remarkable primary productivity.
In short, this experience outside my comfort zone allowed me not only to touch for the first time the vast world of marine biology, but above all to write my three-year thesis on the distribution of fin whales and sperm whales that particularly frequent the study area.
Thanks to these research and outreach guys, I was able to gain knowledge that will help me to better face the future that awaits me in this field of study.
See you soon,
Daniele