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The Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis, formerly Alca impennis) is an extinct bird. It was the only species in the genus Pinguinus, flightless giant auks from the Atlantic, to survive until recent times, but is extinct today. It was also known as garefowl (from the Old Norse geirfugl), or penguin (see etymology below). Image File history File links Alca_impennisAMF064LB.png‎ File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Great Auk ...
George Edward Lodge (1860-1954) was a British illustrator of birds. ...
The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ...
Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ...
The Dodo, shown here in illustration, is an often-cited[1] example of modern extinction. ...
Jan. ...
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ...
Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ...
Animalia redirects here. ...
Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ...
“Aves†redirects here. ...
Families Thinocoridae Pedionomidae Scolopacidae Rostratulidae Jacanidae Chionididae Burhinidae Haematopodidae Recurvirostridae Ibidorhynchidae Charadriidae Pluvianellidae Dromadidae Glareolidae Stercorariidae Rhynchopidae Laridae Sternidae Alcidae Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. ...
Genera Alle Uria Alca Pinguinus Cepphus Brachyramphus Synthliboramphus Ptychoramphus Cyclorrhynchus Aethia Cerorhinca Fratercula Auks are birds of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. ...
Abbé Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre (1747 - September 20, 1804) was a French naturalist who contributed sections on birds and fish to the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique. ...
In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ...
Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ...
1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...
In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ...
“Aves†redirects here. ...
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ...
For other uses of the word, please see Genus (disambiguation). ...
Genera Alle Uria Alca Pinguinus Cepphus Brachyramphus Synthliboramphus Ptychoramphus Cyclorrhynchus Aethia Cerorhinca Fratercula Auks are birds of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. ...
The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ...
In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ...
Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ...
In the past, the Great Auk was found in great numbers on islands off eastern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Ireland and Great Britain, but it was eventually hunted to extinction. Remains found in Floridan middens suggest that at least occasionally, birds ventured that far south in winter as recently as in the 14th century (Weigel 1958, Brodkorb 1960). The Dodo, shown here in illustration, is an often-cited[1] example of modern extinction. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area Ranked 22nd - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²) - Width 361 miles (582 km) - Length 447 miles (721 km) - % water 17. ...
A midden, or kitchen midden, is a dump for domestic waste. ...
This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ...
Characteristics
Standing about 75 centimetres or 30-34 inches high and weighing around 5 kg (Livezey 1988), the flightless Great Auk was the largest of the auks. It had white and glossy black feathers. The longest wing feathers were only 4 inches long. Its feet and claws were black. The webbed skin between the toes was brown/black. The beak was black with white transverse grooves. There was an area of white feathers on both sides of the head between the beak and each eye. It had a reddish/brown iris. Juvenile birds had less prominent grooves in their beaks and had mottled white and black necks. Image File history File linksMetadata Greatauk-london. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Greatauk-london. ...
For other similarly-named museums see Museum of Natural History. ...
Genera Uria Alle Alca Pinguinus Synthliboramphus Cepphus Brachyramphus Ptychoramphus Aethia Cerorhinca Fratercula Extinct genera, see Systematics Auks are birds of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. ...
Ecology They were excellent swimmers, using their wings to swim underwater. Their main food was fish, usually between 12 and 20 cm, but occasionally up to half the bird's own length; based on remains associated with Great Auk bones on Funk Island and ecological and morphological considerations, it seems that Atlantic menhaden and capelin were favored prey items (Olson et al. 1979). Great Auks walked slowly and sometimes used their wings to help them traverse rough terrain. They had few natural predators, mainly large marine mammals and birds of prey, and had no innate fear of humans. Their flightlessness and awkwardness on land compounded their vulnerability to humans, who hunted them for food, feathers, and also for specimen collection for museums and private collections. Funk Island (49°44′13″ N 52°58′26″ W NST) is a small, barren, isolated, uninhabited island approximately 60 km northeast of Wesleyville, Newfoundland, Canada. ...
Binomial name Brevoortia tyrannus Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannusThe is a silvery, highly compressed (flat) fish. ...
Binomial name Mallotus villosus Müller, 1776 This article is about the fish. ...
A Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), a member of Order Cetacea A Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), a member of infrafamily Pinnipedia A West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus), a member of Order Sirenia A marine mammal is a mammal that is primarily ocean-dwelling or depends on the ocean for its food. ...
Orders Accipitriformes Cathartidae Pandionidae Accipitridae Sagittariidae Falconiformes Falconidae A bird of prey or raptor is a bird that hunts its food, especially one that preys on mammals or other birds. ...
The Great Auk laid only one egg each year, which it incubated on bare ground, with hatching in June. The eggs were yellowish white to light ochre with a varying pattern of black, brown or greyish spots and lines which often congregated on the large end, and quite large (110-140 x 70-84 mm). Image File history File linksMetadata GreatAukEggIpswichMuseum. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata GreatAukEggIpswichMuseum. ...
IPSWICH MUSEUM Early History 1846-1945 Ipswich Museum was founded in 1846 and opened in 1847 in Museum Street, then newly laid-out, with the specific remit to educate the working classes in natural history. ...
Extinction The Great Auk was hunted on a significant scale for food, eggs and down from at least the 8th century. Previous to that, hunting by local natives can be documented from Late Stone Age Scandinavia and Eastern North America (Greenway 1967), and from early 5th century AD Labrador (Jordan & Olson 1982) where the bird only seems to have occurred as a straggler. A person buried at the Maritime Archaic site at Port au Choix, Newfoundland, dating to about 2000 BC, seems to have been interred clothed in a suit made from more than 200 Great Auk skins, with the heads left attached as decoration (Tuck 1976). The down of birds is a layer of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers. ...
(7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ...
Scandinavia is a historical and geographical region centered on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe and includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. ...
Europe in 450 The 5th century is the period from 401 - 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ...
Labrador (also Coast of Labrador) is a region of Atlantic Canada. ...
In archaeology, the Maritime Archaic period is a period lasting from approximately 7000 BC into modern times. ...
For other uses, see Newfoundland (disambiguation). ...
(Redirected from 2000 BC) (21st century BC - 20th century BC - 19th century BC - other centuries) (3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC) Events 2064 - 1986 BC -- Twin Dynasty wars in Egypt 2000 BC -- Farmers and herders travel south from Ethiopia and settle in Kenya. ...
The little ice age may have reduced their numbers, but massive exploitation for their down eventually reduced the population to very few birds. Specimens of the Great Auk and its eggs became collectible and highly prized, and collecting contributed to the demise of the species. The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of cooling occurring after a warmer era known as the Medieval climate optimum. ...
On Stac an Armin, St Kilda, Scotland, in July, 1840, the last great auk seen in the British Isles was killed by two St Kildans. Haswell-Smith claims that this was because they thought it was a witch. Stac an Àrmainn with Boreray to the left and Stac Lee beyond at right Stac an Armin (NA151064) or Stac an Àrmainn (the proper Scottish Gaelic spelling, formerly à rmuinn), meaning stack of the soldier/warrior. It is a sea stack in the St Kilda archipelago. ...
St Kilda (Scottish Gaelic: ) is an isolated archipelago situated 64 kilometres (40 mi) west-northwest of North Uist in the North Atlantic Ocean. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Witchcraft. ...
The last pair, found incubating an egg, were killed on 3 July 1844, on the island of Eldey off Iceland, though a later claim of a live individual sighted in 1852 on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland is accepted by the IUCN (BirdLife International 2004). July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ...
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Eldey (Icelandic: Fire Island) is a small island about 10 miles off the coast of the Reykjanes peninsula, south west Iceland. ...
Today, around 75 eggs of the Great Auk remain in museum collections, and about again this number of skins. While literally thousands of isolated bones have been collected from 19th century Funk Island to Neolithic middens, only a minute number of complete skeletons exist (Luther 1996). Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...
An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ...
A midden, also known as kitchen middens, is a dump for domestic waste. ...
Systematics Analysis of mtDNA sequences (Moum et al 2002) have confirmed morphological and biogeographical studies in regarding the razorbill as the Great Auk's closest living relative. Interestingly, they were also closely related to the dovekie, which underwent a radically different evolution compared to Pinguinus. The entire lineage seems to have evolved in the North Atlantic. Due to the outward similarity to the razorbill (apart from flightlessness and size), the Great Auk was often placed in the genus Alca. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is DNA which is not located in the nucleus of the cell but in the mitochondria. ...
part of a DNA sequence A DNA sequence (sometimes genetic sequence) is a succession of letters representing the primary structure of a real or hypothetical DNA molecule or strand, The possible letters are A, C, G, and T, representing the four nucleotide subunits of a DNA strand (adenine, cytosine, guanine...
The term morphology in biology refers to the outward appearance (shape, structure, colour, pattern) of an organism or taxon and its component parts. ...
Biogeography is the science which deals with patterns of species distribution and the processes that result in such patterns. ...
Binomial name Alca torda Linnaeus, 1758 The Razorbill, Alca torda, is a large alcid, 38-43 cm in length, with a 60-69 cm wingspan. ...
Binomial name Alle alle (Linnaeus, 1758) The Little Auk, or Dovekie, Alle alle, is a small auk, the only member of the genus Alle (Link, 1806). ...
However, the fossil record (Pinguinus alfrednewtoni from the Early Pliocene Yorktown Formation of the Lee Creek Mine, USA) and molecular evidence demonstrate that the three genera, while still closely related, diverged soon after their common ancestor[1] had spread to the coasts of the Atlantic. The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ...
Etymology One theory connects names for the Great Auk with the origin of the word penguin, which may have come from the Welsh or Breton phrase pen gwyn, meaning "white head". Although the head of the Great Auk was not white, there was a prominent white patch in front of the eye, commented on by writers such as Martin Martin. Later, when explorers discovered apparently similar birds in the southern hemisphere, those which we now call penguins, the term was supposedly transferred to them. Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ...
Breton (Breton: Brezhoneg) is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany (Breizh) in France. ...
Martin Martin (?1699-1719) was a Scottish writer, he is best known for his work A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland (1695), particularly noted for its information on St Kilda. ...
southern hemisphere highlighted in yellow (Antarctica not depicted). ...
Modern genera Aptenodytes Eudyptes Eudyptula Megadyptes Pygoscelis Spheniscus For prehistoric genera, see Systematics Some penguins are curious. ...
In French, auks are called "Pingouins" (a word close to Penguin) while Penguins (the southern birds) are called "Manchots" (a word meaning "armless"). Most French people still remain confused, calling Penguins "Pingouins" instead of "Manchots" as the two types of birds share many characteristics.
An alternative theory, suggested by John Latham in 1785, claims that the word penguin comes from the Latin pinguis ("fat"), referring to the plump appearance of the bird. John Latham John Latham (June 27, 1740 - February 4, 1837) was an English physician, naturalist and author. ...
1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...
Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...
The specific name impennis means "lacking remiges" in Latin. The remiges (wing feathers) of this species were compact and small, and the wings were presumably used for propulsion under water, as they are by all modern auks and penguins. In zoological nomenclature, a specific name is the second part (second name) in the name of a species (a binomen). ...
Remiges are a birds flight feathers which are attached to the rear portion of the wing bones. ...
Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...
As mascot The Great Auk is a mascot to Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware, USA, Sir Sandford Fleming college in Ontario, Canada, and the Adelaide University Choral Society (AUCS), Australia.[1] It is also the mascot of the Knowledge Masters educational competition. Millie, once mascot of the City of Brampton, is now the Brampton Arts Councils representative. ...
Archmere Academy is a Roman Catholic college preparatory school of 508 students in Claymont, Delaware. ...
Claymont is a census-designated place located in New Castle County, Delaware. ...
Fleming College (formerly known as Sir Sandford Fleming College) is a College of Applied Arts and Technology in Peterborough, Ontario. ...
Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area Ranked 4th...
Knowledge Masters is an extracurricular activity in which students from teams from many schools in both America and world wide solve tests composed of questions drawn from ecletic sources. ...
The Auk, the scientific journal of the American Ornithologists' Union, is named after this bird. The Auk is a quarterly journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists Union, having been continuously published by that body since 1883. ...
The American Ornithologists Union (AOU) an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders. ...
According to Homer Hickam's memoir Rocket Boys and its subsequent film production October Sky the early rockets he and his friends built were named "Auk" along with a sequential numeration as an obvious display of irony. Homer Hadley Hickam, Jr. ...
Rocket Boys is the first memoir in a series of three, by Homer Hickam, Jr. ...
October Sky is a 1999 movie based on the book Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam. ...
In Literature The Great Auk is the subject of a novel, The Last Great Auk, by Allen Eckert. This novel tells about the events leading to extinction of the Great Auk, as seen from the perspective of the Great Auk that winds up being the the last one alive. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
References - BirdLife International (2004). Pinguinus impennis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as extinct
- Brodkorb, Pierce (1960): Great Auk and Common Murre from a Florida Midden. Auk 77(3): 342-343. PDF fulltext
- Fuller, Errol (1999): The Great Auk. Abrams, New York.
- Greenway, James C., Jr. (1967): Great Auk. In: Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World, 2nd edition: 271-291. Dover, New York. QL676.7.G7
- Haswell-Smith, Hamish (1996) - The Scottish Islands
- Jordan, Richard H. & Olson, Storrs L. (1982): First Record of the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis) from Labrador. Auk 99(1): 167-168. PDF fulltext
- Livezey, Bradley C. (1988): Morphometrics of flightlessness in the Alcidae. Auk 105(4): 681–698. PDF fulltext
- Luther, Dieter (1996): Riesenalk. In: Die ausgestorbenen Vögel der Welt, 4th edition (Die neue Brehm-Bücherei 424): 78-84. Westarp-Wissenschaften, Magdeburg; Spektrum, Heidelberg. ISBN 3-89432-213-6 [in German]
- Morris, Reverend Francis O. (1864): A History of British Birds 6. Groombridge and Sons, Paternoster Way, London.
- Moum, Truls; Arnason, Ulfur & Árnason, Einar (2002): Mitochondrial DNA Sequence Evolution and Phylogeny of the Atlantic Alcidae, Including the Extinct Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis). Molecular Biology and Evolution 19(9): 1434–1439. PDF fulltext
- Olson, Storrs L.; Swift, Camm C. & Mokhiber, Carmine (1979): An Attempt to Determine the Prey of the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis). Auk 96(4): 790-792. PDf fulltext
- Tuck, J. A. (1976): Ancient peoples of Port au Choix: The Excavation of an Archaic Indian Cemetery in Newfoundland. Newfoundland Social and Economic Studies 17.
- Weigel, Penelope Hermes (1958): Great Auk Remains from a Florida Shell Midden. Auk 75(2): 215–216. PDF fulltext
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ...
The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...
The Auk is a quarterly journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists Union, having been continuously published by that body since 1884. ...
The Auk is a quarterly journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists Union, having been continuously published by that body since 1884. ...
The Auk is a quarterly journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists Union, having been continuously published by that body since 1884. ...
The Auk is a quarterly journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists Union, having been continuously published by that body since 1884. ...
The Auk is a quarterly journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists Union, having been continuously published by that body since 1884. ...
Footnotes - ^ Probably similar to a stout Xantus's Murrelet. By that time, the murres or Atlantic Guillemots had apparently already split off from the other Atlantic alcids, however. Razorbill-like birds were common in the Atlantic during the Pliocene, but the evolution of the dovekie is badly documented.
Binomial name Synthliboramphus hypoleucus (Xantus, 1859) Xantuss Murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) is a small seabird found in the California Current system in the Pacific Ocean. ...
A Guillemot is a variety of seeabird. ...
The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ...
See also Since 1500, over 100 species of birds have become extinct, and this rate of extinction seems to be increasing. ...
Modern genera Aptenodytes Eudyptes Eudyptula Megadyptes Pygoscelis Spheniscus For prehistoric genera, see Systematics Some penguins are curious. ...
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