World renowned author and naturalist Carl Safina spoke on Tuesday evening, July 27, to a receptive crowd at the Block Island Maritime Institute. Safina discussed his latest two books, “Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel,” and “Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace,” which present in detail often overlooked similarities between humans and animals. These are similarities which, once recognized and appreciated, could have profound implications regarding how we view and treat animals, from ospreys and peregrine falcons to orcas and whales and chimps and bonobos.