SAN JUAN — Two fossil teeth from a distant relative of North American gophers have scientists rethinking how some mammals reached the Caribbean Islands. The teeth, excavated in northwest Puerto Rico, belong to a previously unknown rodent genus and species, now named Caribeomys merzeraudi. About the size of a mouse, C. merzeraudi is the Caribbean’s […]
Tag: Caribbean History
18th Century Graveyard Found At Former St. Eustatius Plantation
ORANJESTAD — An 18th century burial ground has been discovered at a former sugar plantation on the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, officials said Monday, and archaeologists said it likely contains the remains of slaves and could provide a trove of information on the lives as enslaved people. Government officials said 48 skeletons had […]
Is Every Religion Treated The Same In The Dominican Republic? U.S. Embassy Reports
SANTO DOMINGO — The constitution provides for freedom of religion and belief. A concordat with the Holy See designates Roman Catholicism as the official state religion and extends to the Catholic Church special privileges not granted to other religious groups. These include funding for expenses, including administration and construction, visa exceptions, and exemptions for customs […]
Ancient Yemeni Coins May Solve Mystery of Murderous 1600s Pirate
WARWICK, Rhode Island — A handful of coins unearthed from a pick-your-own-fruit orchard in rural Rhode Island and other random corners of New England may help solve one of the planet’s oldest cold cases. The villain in this tale: a murderous English pirate who became the world’s most-wanted criminal after plundering a ship carrying Muslim […]
Caribbean Mammal Extinction Studies Help Biologists Care For Living Animals Today
LONDON — A new study by a team of international scientists jointly led by Stony Brook University Professor Liliana M. Dávalos and Professor Samuel Turvey of the Zoological Society of London reveals that the largest and smallest mammals in the Caribbean have been the most vulnerable to extinction. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society […]
Who Were The First People To Call The Caribbean Home?
NASSAU — Locals in the Bahamas will tell you the best time for beachcombing is after a big storm. There’s a rumor, unconfirmed, that on one such beach trip, people found gold coins. And on one such October day in 2015, in the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin, three Long Island locals found two human skulls. […]