Nossa Senhora de Tourega Dam: the reservoir where I first observed and filmed otters in Summer 2005, when the idea of my PhD project arose in my mind, and where I came back 2 years later and started to track otters... Évora, Portugal.
RANDOM MEMORIES
POST-DOC RESEARCH in PORTUGAL
Semiaquatic mammals' team (Top) and Fish sampling friends' (Down) selfies (Trás-os-Montes, Portugal).
Surveying the endangered Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus): we found a drastic decline in the species occurrence in Northeast Portugal during the last two decades (Quaglietta et al 2018).
Trapping Pyrenean desmans (Galemys pyrenaicus) (Trás-os-Montes, Portugal).
Pyrenean desmans (Galemys pyrenaicus) (above, on the right and down on the left) that I captured for a genetic study. Note the stunning nasal trompe of this morphologically unique species (read more on special adaptations to semiaquatic living here).
Surveying the rare Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) with Carla Marisa Quaresma (ICNF) (Portugal). By comparing data of our surveys with those performed by the ICNF two decades ago in the same sites we documented a severe range contraction, raising high concern for desman conservation (Quaglietta et al 2018).
When waders are not enough, you need to recur to other tools!
Latrine of Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus). Presence signs were genetically confirmed in the lab, allowing to detect sever range contraction in desman distribution in the last two decades (Quaglietta et al 2018).
Fish sampling for a study on genetics of fish populations of the Tua River Catchment (1)
Fish sampling for a study on genetics of fish populations of the Tua River Catchment (2)
Fish sampling for a study on genetics of fish populations of the Tua River Catchment (3)
The invasive and increasingly spreading American mink (Neovison vison) (Trás-os-Montes, Portugal).
The Signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), one of the two invasive crayfish species of our study area (Trás-os-Montes, Portugal) (cf. Filipe et al 2017).
The American Red crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), one of the two invasive crayfish species of our study area (Trás-os-Montes, Portugal) (cf. Filipe et al 2017).
OPA (OTTER PROJECT in ALENTEJO)
My PHD Project in PORTUGAL
My TEAM
My great collaborators, Msc., Bsc. students and volunteers from all over the world, during my PhD project.
(First) OTTER GPS TRACKING (ever)
One of the supposedly orphaned otter cubs, found in nature and planned to be released back into the wild when grown up within a project in collaboration between ICNF, Zoomarine, Quercus/CRASSA and us from Évora University, of which I was the scientific responsible. Lisbon, Portugal.
Ilkka, the wild orphaned otter cub I raised for the project aimed at releasing orphaned otter cubs into the wild in collaboration between ICNF, Zoomarine, Quercus/CRASSA and us from Évora University, of which I was the scientific responsible. Évora, Portugal. Here I was trying to train her to catch Red crayfish, an invasive species which constitutes around 80% of otter diet in the Iberian Peninsula.
Eureka, the first ever GPS tagged otter (Quaglietta et al 2012), here in semi-captivity at CRASSA (Santo André, Portugal).
Eureka, the first ever GPS tagged otter (Quaglietta et al 2012).
The unfortunate case of Beringela, an otter poached, discovered thanks to GPS telemetry (Beringel, Portugal).
One of the very fist otter ever fitted with a GPS telemetry system, here back into the wild (Évora, Portugal) (see Quaglietta et al 2012).
OTTER CAMERA & LIVE TRAPPING & RADIOTRACKING
Handling an Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) cub (Évora, Portugal)
One of the otters radio-tracked few instants before its release back into the wild after radio-transmitter implantation
Visible surgery sutured wound on the right side of an Eurasian otter after radio-transmitter surgical implantation at the Vet Hospital of Évora University (Portugal).
One of our radio-tracked female while taking a sun bath with her three cubs - I was very near to them!
Homing to an otter in a resting site.
Sometimes radio-tracked animals disappear, and you've to be ready to.. risk your life! (check out the repairs to this ultralight aircraft made by scotch tape..!! :D).
Teaching my collaborators how to set a camera trap.
Showing on a map where our radio-tracked otters could be to my concentrated collaborators.
Extract from a video I shot of an otter chasing and eating a big carp just in front of me - summer 2005, at a reservoir near Évora (Portugal).
One of the very first wild otter pictures I took by camera trap, near Évora (Portugal).
Picture of an otter family (presumably one female with her two cubs that we radio-tracked in that area), taken by camera trap near Évora (Portugal).
The old "radio-tracking" car! (Évora, Portugal).
RESOURCE SAMPLING
Electrofishing, here with Chris and Colleen, two american volunteers
Fish visual survey
with one of my two life-long loves: a trout (Salmo trutta fario).
Fish sampling and tagging with Maria Ilhéu (Évora, Portugal).
Tagging Iberian barbels (Barbus bocagei).
Implanting Iberian barbels (Barbus bocagei) with radio-transmitters.
Crayfish sampling
Measuring water availability in Mediterranean ecosystems, to assess its relation with otter seasonal space use patterns
BRAZILIAN AMAZON
The sweet Amazon ribeirinhos family of Zé "Ariranha".
The wonderful "pirarucu" (Arapaima gigas), among the world's largest freshwater fishes.
Paddling in the incredible Brazilian Amazon...
A tiny "preguiça" (Bradypus variegatus).
CONSULTANCY in INDIA
Consultancy for the Wildlife Conservation Trust to train local researchers on otter ecology and GPS-tag Eurasian otters (recently detected in Central India) - Nagpur, India, November 2019.
My first tiger paw! - Satpura Tiger Reserve, Pachmahri, Madya Pradesh, India, December 2019.
OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
Citizen Science expedition focused on Marine Biology along the Tagus River's estuary (Parque das Nações), for the initiative "Ciência no Verão", in collaboration with Ciência Viva - Lisbon, Portugal, August 2019.
Citizen Science expedition focused on Marine Biology along the Tagus River's estuary (Parque das Nações), for the initiative "Ciência no Verão", in collaboration with Ciência Viva - Lisbon, Portugal, August 2019.
With photographer Joel Sartore (center) and my fomer student Fabio Marcolin (left), after the capture of a Pyrenean desman, which was the 8000th species photographed by Joel for his PhotoArk National Geographic project. Photo credits by Adriano Borges.
The most famous Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) ever: individual that I've trapped for a genetic study happened to be the 8000th species photographed by Joel Sartore for his Nat Geo PhotoArk project. Picture credits: ©Joel Sartore/ National Geographic photo Ark.
World Otter Day 2018 (1) - Raising awareness on otters, Pyrenean desman, invasive crayfish, and freshwater ecosystem conservation - Lagoa Pequena, Sesimbra, Portugal (collaboration with International Otter Survival Fund, Biodiversity4All and SPEA).
World Otter Day 2018 (2) - Raising awareness on freshwater ecosystems' conservation - Lagoa Pequena, Sesimbra, Portugal (collaboration with International Otter Survival Fund, Biodiversity4All and SPEA).
World Otter Day 2018 (3) - Raising awareness on freshwater ecosystems' conservation - Lagoa Pequena, Sesimbra, Portugal (collaboration with International Otter Survival Fund, Biodiversity4All and SPEA).
World Otter Day 2018 (4) - Raising awareness on freshwater ecosystems' conservation - Lagoa Pequena, Sesimbra, Portugal. Here one of the attendants sniffing an otter spraint!
An original oral presentation: "stretching" mirroring the Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus), during a talk on severe range contraction of Pyrenean desman in NE Portugal at the Italian Theriologists conference (Florence, Italy - June 2018).
Environmental education on freshwater ecosystem conservation at the primary school EB1 Natália Correia, Lisbon, within the World Otter Day 2018.
POST MORTEM ANALYSES
Post-mortem analysis of one of the many unlucky pink dolphins (Inia geoffrensis) killed by people in the Brazilian Amazon (unfortunately people there are use to kill pink dolphins, kaimans, and secondarily giant otters, to limit competition for fish or for bait to catch the "piracatinga" fish).
At the Otter Post-Mortem Analysis workshop in Danmark, fixing an otter uterus on a petri dish.
OTTER RESEARCH IN ITALY
(My Bsc. Thesis)
Radio-tracking otters in Italy, in the Cilento e Vallo di Diano National Park, for my Bsc. Thesis carried out in the project of Prof Luigi Boitani.
First image in the wild of Primo Rebelde, the first wild otter radio-tracked in Italy (Parco Cilento e Vallo di Diano, Italy)
Picture of an otter mother and cub sprainting, taken by camera trap in Basilicata (Italy).
Wild otter photographed inside a den by camera trap (Parco Cilento e Vallo di Diano, Italy).