Meet The Great Auk, A Flightless Bird That Was Clumsy On Land But Agile In Water, Lived Around The North Atlantic Waters But Went Extinct In 1844

The last two confirmed specimens were slain on Eldey, off the coast of Iceland

Maryjane

• Published in Animal Stories
• November 27, 2022

A species of flightless alcid that went extinct in the middle of the 19th century was the great auk. In the genus Pinguinus, it was the only contemporary species.

It reproduced on rocky, distant islands with easy access to the water and plenty of food, a rarity in nature that gave the great auks only a few breeding locations. In the North Atlantic, where they ranged as far south as northern Spain and along the coasts of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Ireland, and Great Britain, they spent their time foraging when not mating.

The bird was the second-largest member of the alcid family, measuring between 75 and 85 centimeters (30 and 33 inches) tall and 5 kilograms (11 pounds) in weight. It was also the largest alcid to have survived into the modern era (the prehistoric Miomancalla was larger).

Its belly was white, and its back was black. The black beak had grooves on its surface and was hefty and hooked. It was clumsy on land, even though it was agile in the water.

Great auk pairs stayed together for life. Many Native American cultures valued the great auk as a food source and a symbol of importance.

Numerous maritime archaic individuals were buried with enormous auk bones. More than 200 great auk beaks were found on one grave, which is thought to be the remains of a cloak constructed of great auk skins.

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The great auk's population was decreased by early European explorers, who exploited it as fishing bait or a convenient source of food in the Americas. By the middle of the 16th century, European populations had virtually disappeared due to the high demand for the bird's down.

The bird was the second-largest member of the alcid family

The great auk became the beneficiary of numerous early environmental laws, but these laws proved to be ineffective as soon as scientists started to notice that the species was disappearing. Due to the bird's increasing scarcity, European museums and private collectors became more interested in acquiring its skins and eggs.

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A really terrible ending

The Great Auk looked like a penguin

Humans really suck

The final recorded attempt at breeding was put to an end on June 3, 1844, when the last two confirmed specimens were slain on Eldey, off the coast of Iceland. Some people believe the last sighting of a great auk was one in 1852, when it was recorded.

The great auk was a skilled swimmer that propelled itself underwater with its wings. The neck was pulled in, but the head was held up while swimming.

This species had the ability to bank, veer, and turn while submerged.

The villagers had to kill it

What makes the OP sad

It is what it is

The great auk was reported to dive to a depth of 75 meters (250 ft), and it has been asserted that the species might go as deep as one kilometer (3,300 ft). The majority of dives were shallow to save energy.

More so than a seal, it was also capable of holding its breath for 15 minutes. Because it could dive so far, it had less competition from other alcid species.

The great auk was capable of speeding up beneath the water before leaping out to land on a ledge of rock above the ocean's surface.

Maryjane