You may not know that, besides the polar bear, the Arctic was once home to giant penguins, but sadly, they are now extinct.
More than two centuries ago, a plump bird with a white belly and black back was widely distributed in the Arctic. It was known as the Great Auk, also referred to as the Arctic Giant Penguin. This flightless bird was a true aquatic species.
Unfortunately, by the year 1844, this creature had been completely wiped out from the Earth. Of course, the culprit behind this event was none other than humankind.
Great Auk, also known as the Arctic Giant Penguin.
For a long time, the Great Auk primarily lived on flat islands near the Arctic Ocean. Islands such as Greenland, Iceland, and Labrador served as paradises for these penguin-like birds. Without cliffs on these islands, they were unsuitable for seabirds that rely on wind currents for flight. With no competitors, the penguins, which were excellent swimmers, thrived on the abundant fish and shrimp in the sea, maintaining a stable population.
In the 16th century, European mariners discovered the Great Auk on several islands around the Arctic. At that time, this charming plump bird was dubbed “penguin,” and it was officially renamed Pinguinus impennis in 1791. “Pinguis” means “fat” in Latin, and “impennis” translates to “without wings,” essentially meaning the flightless fat bird.
Later, mariners reached Antarctica and discovered the Antarctic penguin. During that time, it was believed that penguins were distributed at both poles of the Earth. However, in reality, Antarctic penguins and Arctic penguins have no relation; their similar appearance is merely due to similar living habits.
The Great Auk is known as the flightless fat bird. (Illustration)
The giant flightless bird that once inhabited the Arctic was the Great Auk, not the penguins we see today. They are more closely related to gulls and puffins than to modern penguins.
Since the Great Auk did not build nests, they laid eggs and reproduced primarily outdoors. They practiced monogamy within their population, but their reproductive rate was quite low.
However, despite the low reproductive efficiency of the Great Auk, their population remained healthy due to few natural enemies and abundant resources. But when mariners encroached upon the uninhabited Arctic lands, all this beauty changed forever.
Although the Great Auk had excellent swimming abilities, they had given up flying and could only move clumsily on land. Moreover, this naive bird had a gentle temperament and was not afraid of humans; even when seeing a person with a knife, they would not flee.
The Great Auk was an important source of meat and eggs for humans for centuries.
The Great Auk served as an important source of meat and eggs for humans for many centuries. Uncontrolled and reckless hunting led to a rapid decline in their numbers. The eggs of the Great Auk were considered delicacies and highly nutritious. The widespread collection of their eggs severely impacted their reproductive capabilities. Humans exploited and destroyed the habitat of the Great Auk for land, wood, and other resources, causing the birds to lose their living and foraging grounds.
In fact, humans began hunting the Great Auk as early as the Paleolithic era. In Labrador, Canada, the slaughter of Great Auks appeared as early as the 5th century. However, at this stage, humans did not pose a significant threat to the survival of the entire species. What truly led to their extinction were the human massacres from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
In the eyes of Europeans, the Great Auk was easy to catch and delicious. Their meat provided energy, and their oil could be used for lamps—since the Great Auks contained a lot of oil in their bodies, they could even catch fire if thrown into a flame, which is why their meat was dubbed a delicacy with a taste of the sea.
Additionally, the plumage of this plump bird could be used for everyday necessities such as clothing and pillows, making the hunting of Great Auks more appealing than fishing in some respects.
Humans continuously conducted large-scale massacres of the Great Auk.
Driven by profit, humans continuously carried out large-scale massacres of the Great Auk. Only when there were just a few Great Auks left in the wild did people awaken to the reality.
However, what is perplexing is that even as the number of Great Auks dwindled, their eggs and remains continued to be turned into valuable specimens. Many museums even paid high prices to acquire their specimens, with the goal of educating future generations and the public about the endangered Great Auk.
At present, the Great Auk has been declared extinct.
On July 3, 1844, three Icelandic fishermen fortuitously found a pair of Great Auks. They did not hesitate to capture this pair to create specimens. At that time, no one could have thought that they were actually the last family of Great Auks on Earth.
Even more despairing was that during the hunting process, the fishermen trampled on their unhatched eggs, completely extinguishing the last hope of survival for this species. At present, the Great Auk has been declared extinct. The last unfortunate pair of Great Auks was made into specimens and placed in the Glasgow Museum.
