Vatera

A new hub for illicit ship-to-ship transfers between Lesvos and Chios

Cargo ships, tankers etc are usually loaded at land-based terminals but sometimes it is necessary for various reasons for cargo to be transferred from one ship to another while at sea. Many of these ship-to-ship transfer (STS) operations involve the transfer of liquid fuels. This can be a risky business with a danger of spillage…

The Late Pliocene vertebrate fauna of Vatera (Lesvos Island, Greece)

Vatera is a Late Pliocene (~2 Ma) locality in the southern part of Lesvos Island, Greece, in which a mainland fauna of large vertebrates has been found and systematically excavated. The fauna is composed of the typical European mammals of that time: horses (Equus), giraffes (Mitilanotherium), gazelles (Gazella), antelopes (Gazellospira), oxes (Leptobos), raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes),…

Loggerhead sea turtles in Lesvos

The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta Caretta) is widely distributed in the world’s oceans as well as in the Mediterranean Sea and is considered to be a “keystone species” in the ecology of marine environments. The Mediterranean is an important nursery area for juvenile turtles and nesting sites are located on many of its beaches and…