The Bosphorus Strait is a narrow ribbon of water that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is among the world's busiest shipping lanes, bisecting the Turkish city of Istanbul, home to more than 10 million people. It is also the permanent home of several species of dolphins that brave the shipping traffic and pollution to feed on the fish that are funneled into the narrow mouth of the strait.

Dr. Ayaka Ozturk, a marine biologist working with the Turkish Marine Research Foundation, has been studying the Bosphorus Strait dolphins and says these dolphins are being overlooked and are in need of protection.

Find out more: Dolphins Dodge Danger in the Bosphorus Strait (NPR)

Photo © Dr. Ayhan Dede / Turkish Marine Resesarch Foundation.