Petros (pelican)



Petros was a great white pelican. It was the official mascot of the Greek island of Mykonos.

In 1958, a wounded pelican was found off the coast of Mykonos by a local fisherman. The pelican was nursed to health and remained on the island supported by locals. It soon adopted the name "Petros", as a joke among locals, as "petro" in Greek means "rock" or "stone", but metaphorically "old and grumpy". Petros was hit and killed by a car in December 1985.

Subsequently, three new pelicans took up residence around the main town of Mykonos. One, honorifically, was given the name "Petros".