Not so long ago, the northern seas were full of great auks–the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus.
Every summer, millions of the goose-sized birds would gather at different breeding grounds across the North Atlantic. The flightless birds were easy to capture, and passing sailors. French explorers in 1534 wrote how they loved how the birds tasted.
Just three centuries later, the species had become famous for its scarcity instead. Museums and merchants started paying top dollar for great auk eggs and skins. In 1844, members of a small expedition found two of the birds on an Icelandic island, strangled them and crushed their only egg.
That was the last confirmed sighting. In this way, the great auk went extinct.
The birds were gone before we could learn very much about them. New researches points the Balme more squarely at us, the humans.
This was a very sad article to read about, I didn’t know that species of penguin existed and now I’ll actually never know about them because they’re gone. This article could have used more interesting information, like what kind of bird they were and how they were used of the centuries, and how they lived in their temporary habitat.
The Associated Press has been doing a series called “What can be saved.” I would suggest it if you want to continue your sadness.
I hope you had a positive experience in the class, Kristine. Have a good break.