Critter News

JUNE 20, 2010

As the future of whales once more comes under global debate, some scientists say the marine mammals are not only smarter than thought but also share several attributes once claimed as exclusively human. Tags: marine life marine animals whales.

Whales 100

Whales Whaling Humane Marine Life 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

This Yellow-crowned Amazon was not quite as vociferous as his Central American cousins And like many of these birds, I too love to spend time beneath the water – there are few things better than free diving or scuba diving with dolphins, whale sharks or coral reef fish.

Sharks 244

Sharks Thailand Dolphins Whales 244

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Thanks to it’s marine canyon it’s the place to see Sperm Whales, swim with Dusky Dolphins and New Zealand Fur-seals, and watch albatrosses, shearwaters and petrels. Sperm Whales are a huge draw, literally! Formerly a fishing town it’s economy is now geared towards tourism, particularly ecotourism.

Albatross 218

Albatross New Zealand Fur Seals 218

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast is designed to be a quick, handy resource for use on whale watching and one-day pelagic trips. Tail, fin, blow, and back for whales; fin, back, leaping whole body, and tail splashes for dolphins and porpoises. We saw two Blue Whales on our trip, quickly identified by the boat’s crew.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Porpoises Whales Whaling 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

From the fishing boats we spotted lots of water in the air, both from a whale breaching and blowing. We tracked it down and had a great show of a Humpback Whale breaching repeatedly, one of two in the area. Being out on the water is great, even when the birds are only so-so.

Whales 196

Whales Whaling Dolphins New York 196

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

This relatively new technique has been used to study relationships among and within several groups of mammals, including lagamorphs (rabbits and hares), rodents, and cetaceans (whales and dolphins), but I couldn’t find many references to its application in avian systematics yet.

Parrots 249

Parrots Falcons Indonesia Rodents 249

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2013

The fish charge at the shore and virtually beach themselves in an effort to grab the unwary birds, in the style of a Crocodile taking a Wildebeest or a Killer Whale taking a pinniped. Some (but not most) killer whales beach themselves on land or ice to get at sea mammals or penguins, and some dolphins do similar things.

Fish 262

Fish Whales Whaling France 262

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

Add to this regular sightings of Humpback and Southern Right Whale, inside and outside the bay, as well as year round sightings of Bryde’s Whale and occasional summer reports of Orca in pursuit of dolphin off Cape Point, and you have some idea as to what to expect in the way of the ‘unexpected’.

Albatross 241

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 241

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2016

A little longer than its predecessor (by eight pages to be exact), the East Coast guide is your handy dandy, pocket-sized, all-in-one guide to the seabirds, marine mammals, sea turtles, fish, and other creatures you are likely to encounter on pelagics or whale watching trips, from Bar Harbor, Maine to Ponce de Leon Inlet, Florida.

Pennsylvania 189

Pennsylvania Texas Whales Whaling 189

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

The canyon also brings Dusky Dolphins and Sperm Whales close in, and has turned Kaikoura from a sleepy fishing village on the Picton to Christchurch road into a premier ecotourism site. One is the sea canyon that comes close to shore, ensuring plenty of pelagic species can be found close to shore.

Albatross 214

Albatross New Zealand Dolphins Whales 214

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2013

Two hours after getting off the boat after checking out Sperm Whales we were off again out to find some albatross. The same organisation can also take you out to see Dusky Dolphins (more about next week), so what are you waiting for? Birding albatrosses Kaikoura pelagic birding'

Albatross 203

Albatross New Zealand Fur Seals 203

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2013

Huge pods of dolphins can be found near the islands, and many Gray Whales (above) come through during their spring migration from Baja California to Alaska (which is, coincidentally, the same route many shorebirds, waterfowl and loons take). In summer and fall, the waters around the Channel Islands can teem with Blue Whales.

California 223

California Sea Lions Whales Whaling 223

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

The next five chapters focus more specifically on Galápagos creatures: huge tortoises; iguanas; birds (two chapters–one on seabirds and coastal birds, another on land birds, including the famous finches); water creatures–sea lions, crabs, fish, sea turtles, whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

2006 279

2006 Tortoises Sea Lions Porpoises 279

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2016

As it was when a small pod of Gervais’ Beaked Whales, small whales that look like bulked up Bottlenosed Dolphins tolerated our approach and allowed us to have a surreal experience with this mysterious marine mammal. The best photo I could get, they were just too close!

Whaling 100

Whaling Whales North Carolina Mammals 100

4 The Love Of Animals

APRIL 9, 2010

These filmmakers have given us the pleasure of looking over their shoulders—of doing what I have dreamed of being able to do—to get in a school of fish, to be a dolphin, to be a whale—and swim along with them,” said Dr. Sylvia Earle, Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society. This is the best I’ve ever seen.

Bahamas 100

Bahamas Dolphins Sea Turtles 2010 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

It is acceptable to point out other sea creatures–dolphins or whales or dragonflies–but the main goal is the observation and identification of the birds. This, I am told, is seawatching , a birding activity in which one stands in one place, sometimes for hours, and watches for birds of the sea and lake and river.

Ducks 247

Ducks Groups North America Species 247

Animal Ethics

DECEMBER 1, 2010

However, further research on animals such as whales and dolphins, although seemingly not in respect to monkeys, apes, chimpanzees, may yet reveal that man is not the only animal capable of being a bearer of rights.

Animal Rights 40

Animal Rights Rights Animal Morals 40

Animal Ethics

AUGUST 19, 2009

Utilitarians will of course be equally mindful of the higher animals, some of which, such as whales and dolphins, for all we know may be about as rational as we are, and also of course of any creatures which are higher and more rational than we are and which we may conjecture exist in outer space, and, we may hope, in future times here on earth. (

Morals 40

Morals Animal Liberation Animal Dolphins 40

Animal Ethics

JANUARY 30, 2012

These favor common law personhood, as a matter of liberty, at least for those nonhuman animals, such as chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans, dolphins, and whales, who possess such highly advanced cognitive abilities as consciousness, perhaps even self-consciousness; a sense of self; and the abilities to desire and act intentionally.

Rights 40

Rights For Animals Animal Legislation 40

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2014

Last October Daisy, Desi, and I, joined by my parents, had a grand ol’ time whale-watching aboard the American Princess. Despite my thrill about Desi identifying a gull we were still at sea and still without a whale, a dolphin, or any pelagic species. Then, out of nowhere, a shout, “Dolphins dead ahead!”

Whales 178

Whales Whaling Dolphins New York City 178

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2016

The Ross Sea is the most productive stretch of water in the Southern Ocean, teeming with large predatory fish, whales, seals, penguins and other animals that form the last intact marine ecosystem on Earth. Sperm Whales prey on Toothfish and large squid and in February 2007, a 10-metre (32.8 Enough History – Back to the Future.

Penguins 189

Penguins Russia Whales Whaling 189

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

In the Bahamas I swam in a pod of feeding dolphins. In California I smelt the breath a Blue Whale as it passed feet beneath my boat. In Hawaii I stood on a beach as albatrosses fledged and Tiger Sharks prowled for the less successful ones. In Belize I cruised above reefs few people had ever seen.

Uganda 203

Uganda Sharks New Zealand Africa 203

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and alligators use low-frequency sounds to communicate over long distances, often miles; and bats, dolphins, whales, frogs, and various rodents use high-frequency sounds to find food, communicate with others, and navigate. A Grateful Whale. Photo by Flickker Photos.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 30, 2020

No doubt, the big five of Sri Lanka include the biggest of the big ever – the Blue Whale , followed by Sperm Whale , Asian Elephant , Leopard and Sloth Bear. Blue Whale – 80%, Sperm Whale on 1 in 3 trips, Asian Elephant 100%, Leopard on 1 in 2 game drives, Sloth Bear on 1 in 3 game drives.

Sri Lanka 263

Sri Lanka Leopards Whaling Whales 263

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2019

We also saw lots of dolphins in the ocean and Humpback Whale blow. Amazingly, our pelican ended up being the first of many seen in and around New York Harbor on the day, as seven were seen from a whale-watching boat and down in Staten Island they tallied double-digits!

Pelicans 191

Pelicans Whales Whaling New York 191

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

I’ve been on a whale-watching trip in Orange County , twice gone out to Santa Cruz Island , and even visited Protection Island off the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Pacific White-sided Dolphin with a Fin Whale. (At At least I think that’s a Fin Whale. I’m bad at whales.).

Whaling 167

Whaling Whales Albatross Sea Lions 167