20 September to 20 December 2019

SPHYRNA Odyssey

Listening to marine mammals

To better understand how sperm whales, Cuvier’s beaked whales, Risso’s dolphins,
and pilot whales move at great depths in the Mediterranean Sea, a unique study,
supported by Monaco Explorations, the Prince Albert II Foundation and the Accobams, is
currently taking place in the Mediterranean from 20 September to 20 December 2019.

2200 km in three months

The SPHYRNA project operates from two oceanic naval drones of 17 and 21 metres in length. From
Toulon to Genoa, via Corsica and Baelaric Islands, these autonomous laboratory vessels will
collect acoustic data, without approaching the animals and, therefore, without disturbing them. But:
reconstitute the diving sequence in three dimensions and see how these large sounders
adapt to the sound nuisance due to human activities.

More information

Discover the video of the mission on the website of Sphyrna Odyssey: