Tragic Tale of the Great Auk Flashcards
What is the only escape that the great Auk can do on land?
Try to get to the water as quick as they can.
What was the main predator of the great Auks?
Our early human ancestors
About how tall were the great Auk?
As tall as a three-year-old
How many egg(s) did a great Auk lay a year?
Only one
What keeps the great Auk warm in the cold Ocean?
Water proof feathers and a thick layer of fat
Why, in Iceland, did the great Auks survive?
Because of the rocky seas surrounding them
How were the last two great Auk captured?
They both got strangled
Why did the great Auk end up leaving Iceland?
Because of the volcano
What group speared great Auks from the ocean?
The Inuit
What is one of the kinds of birds that replaced the great Auk on funk island?
The Atlantic puffin
What happened to Funk Island after the Great Auks became extinct?
It became a nesting ground for tons of creatures and now it is an ecological reserve.
What were some of the things the European used the Great Auk for?
They used them for meat, it’s feathers to stuff quilts, pillows, and mattresses. They boiled it to release fat that they used as lamp oil.
What caused the Great Auk to move south?
The last Ice Age. It made most of northern Europe and Canada frozen over with THICK ice.
What was special about the Great Auk’s eggs?
Each egg had it’s own marking.
What was one of the Great Auk’s earliest English nickname and why?
The Wobble for it’s awkward walk.
