by Robert D. Kenney Installment 7 in this series on the marine mammals of Rhode Island was supposed to be on harp seals, but recent events have forced us to let the beluga cut in line without waiting its turn. In June, on the afternoon… Continue reading
by Robert D. Kenney In a previous installment of “Marine Mammals of Rhode Island” we looked at the harbor porpoise, our smallest cetacean. We now turn to one of the largest—the sperm whale. Both species are toothed whales, or odontocetes; in fact the sperm whale… Continue reading
by Robert D. Kenney In our report for the Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan, we showed that 36 species of marine mammals had been recorded in our estuarine and marine waters, and a few others were possibilities. Despite what might seem to some… Continue reading
To put more of a face on the Natural History Survey, we are including profiles of board members, staff, and members among our Rhode Island Naturalist blog posts. This time the celebrity treatment goes to Pete August, Rhode Island’s bat-man and GIS pioneer. Pete August… Continue reading
[I originally published this in January 2008. I thought in honor of today’s low temperatures I’d resurrect it from the back of the blog roll. Enjoy! -DWG] by David W. Gregg, Executive Director, RINHS Today’s Exec’s Blog is about global warming and is RINHS’s contribution… Continue reading
by Robert D. Kenney The porpoises are six species of small toothed whales within one family—closely related to the dolphins. The harbor porpoise is the smallest cetacean, and the only porpoise species, that occurs in the North Atlantic. When I was a graduate student, I… Continue reading
by Emilie Holland [Author Eric Dinerstein spoke at the Natural History Week reception, November 8. RINHS has a limited quantity of this book available for purchase at $25, including tax and shipping (which is cheaper than Amazon). Contact the office to take advantage of this… Continue reading
by Robert D. Kenney The bottlenose dolphin may be the most familiar species of cetacean for many people, for a couple of reasons. Small groups of bottlenose can be seen from the beach almost anywhere along the East Coast—year-round from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to… Continue reading
For most people, the first person they talk to or hear from at the Rhode Island Natural History Survey is Program Administrator, Kira Stillwell. Kira not only answers phones, sends email blasts, manages memberships and organizes Survey events, she is the bookkeeping, human resources, and… Continue reading
by Robert D. Kenney The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) (abbreviated NARW) is one of three species of right whales, with the other two occurring in the North Pacific and Southern Ocean. They are closely related to the bowhead whale, found only in the… Continue reading