Critter News

JANUARY 26, 2009

First wolves, then polar bears, now beluga whales. At issue is the population of {the Cook Inlet beluga) whales, which were put under the protections of the Marine Mammal Protection Act eight years ago, which scientists argue hasn't sped their recovery: Palin begs to differ.

Whales 100

Whales Whaling Polar Bears Alaska 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

There are important details within that dictum that we will ignore here, but this has to do with knowing when a characteristic doesn’t really tell you about the relative position of species on a “tree of life” vs when the characteristic works for that purpose. Rather, cladistics is a way of looking at the process of evolution of species.

Monkeys 141

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 141

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

The descriptions of the territory’s birds, seals, whales, introduced mammals, invertebrates, and plants are written within the framework of the conversationist, so it is more than a field guide, it is a record of endangered wildlife and the efforts being made to protect it. Who can resist penguins and whales?

Georgia 174

Georgia Penguins Wildlife Whales 174

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2016

Perhaps the best experience of the two days I spend offshore was not a bird, but a mammal. 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.

Whales 100

Whales Whaling North Carolina Mammals 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2017

Corey was pleased with the result of the whale-watching trip he took in Queens despite the fact that no one on the boat saw a single marine mammal. There were four Wilson’s Storm-Petrels sighted, only the second time Corey has seen this species in Queens. That’s easily good enough for Best Bird of the Weekend.

2017 100

2017 Whales Whaling North America 100

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. There are 11 species of birds that breed in the Ross Sea region. And the Mammals. Enough History – Back to the Future.

Russia 177

Russia Penguins Whales Whaling 177

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

We were woefully under-prepared in terms of planning – which almost kept us from meeting our friends – but we were also surprised and thrilled to learn that not only were Gray Whales migrating past the lighthouse, but Elephant Seals were lounging on a nearby beach! Migrating Gray Whales. Point Reyes is a magical place.

Seals 190

Seals Elephants Whales Whaling 190

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 172

Pennsylvania Texas Whales Whaling 172

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2013

It has also found its way to Japan where it is considered to be an invasive species. Now and then individual catfish of various species hunt nearer the surface and larger catfish such as the American Channel Cat will take a duck or other water bird. As noted, the fish-like mammals do this as well. Cucherousset, J., 0050840.

Fish 207

Fish Whales Whaling France 207

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2013

Like several species, breeding Peregrines were extirpated during the height of the DDT era but have reclaimed their island domain in more recent years. The Channel Islands have all sorts of species and subspecies that are endemic to the islands, including mammals, reptiles, plants, and of course birds, many of which are nonmigratory.

California 167

California Sea Lions Whales Whaling 167

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2013

Rather, my trip to the American Museum of Natural History last week was enlivened, however slightly, by spotting a Rock Pigeon perched on top of the elephants in the Hall of African Mammals, safely out of the elements and unexposed to Central Park’s hawks. The American Museum of Natural History is a vast and beautiful edifice.

Elephants 157

Elephants Gorillas Buffalo Mammals 157

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2013

Leaving from the harbour on boats were tours to swim with one of New Zealand’s most endangered mammal species, the Hector’s Dolphin. This is one of the smallest dolphin species in the world, not much bigger than the common Harbour Porpoise Americans might be familiar with. South Banks Peninsula.

Dolphins 156

Dolphins Sharks New Zealand Albatross 156

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2012

The number of individual birds and mammals alone that are affected by these factors are countless; and when you consider fish, reptiles and amphibians, it is hard to comprehend the magnitude of life that gets wiped out around the world (and certainly including the U.S.) There is nothing abstract or controversial about this.

Animal Rights Movement 214

Animal Rights Movement Animal Rights Wildlife Rights 214

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2011

It is much stranger and illustrative of the ways of evolution to point out that whales are a form of “hoofed animal&# (unlikely but true). Among mammals, bipedalism is found in several rodents, a number of marsupials, and one primate. Bipedalism is somewhat rare these days in the animal world.

Birds 271

Birds Marsupials Primates Whales 271

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

It was a Benguela Nino year, and pelagic seabirds were in super-abundance in the south eastern Atlantic, with the total of species by variety and number exceeding all expectations for the birders on the inaugural trip as we pitched and wallowed about in the rolling swells on our way out to the trawling grounds.

Albatross 185

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 185

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. Empathy Among Elephants.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100

Animal Ethics

JANUARY 17, 2008

According to this AP Newswire issued yesterday: "President Bush exempted the Navy from an environmental law so it can continue using sonar in its anti-submarine warfare training off the California coast — a practice critics say is harmful to whales and other marine mammals. Navy to do so?

Los Angeles 40

Los Angeles Whales Whaling Mammals 40

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

At sea there are also New Zealand Sea Lions and Southern Right Whales. North of Dunedin is Orokonui , a wildlife Sanctuary modeled on Karori with a fence to keep introduced mammals out. In actuality, you’ve lucked out, you’re near The Catlins , a dramatic area of well preserved temperate rainforest.

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Fur 157

Animal Ethics

NOVEMBER 12, 2008

The land ethic, in sum, is as much opposed, though on different grounds, to commercial traffic in wildlife, zoos, the slaughter of whales and other marine mammals, etc., as is the humane ethic.

Animal Liberation 40

Animal Liberation Ethics Whales Whaling 40