for the Tethys Research Institute, captured an incredible sequence of images showing a leaping bottlenose dolphin with a large octopus clinging to its belly.

the dolphin's genital slit. Yikes.

Image: Joan Gonzalvo . Photo linked from New Scientist because the project website is down, likely due to all the traffic.

"My hypothesis is that the dolphin might have attacked - tried to prey on the octopus - and somehow to avoid it the octopus just attached to the dolphin's belly,"

said

Gonzalvo

.

Joan Gonzalvo of the Ionian Dolphin Project, who studies dolphins off western GreeceWell, more specifically