The great auk is a flightless bird of the alcid family that became extinct in the mid-19th century. It was the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus (unrelated to penguins, although it was the first bird to be called penguin). The great auk was never observed and described by modern scientists during its existence, and is only known from the accounts of laymen, such as sailors, so its behaviour is not well known and hard to reconstruct.
The great auk was found in the cold North Atlantic coastal waters along the coasts of Canada, Norway, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, and Great Britain. The great auk was never observed and described by modern scientists during its existence, and is only known from the accounts of laymen, such as sailors, so its behaviour is not well known. The Auk was a great swimmer and would regularly be used as a guide for fishermen because wherever they went also went the fish.
The Great Auk had a very close resemblance to a penguin in both stature and in color. Though this isn't true because they are in completely different families. Great auks walked slowly and sometimes used their wings to help them traverse rough terrain. The great auk was generally an excellent swimmer, using its wings to propel itself underwater and was known to dive to depths of 249 ft, and it could also hold its breath for 15 minutes.
The Auk had a few natural predators, such as the orca, or polar bear. This species had no innate fear of human beings, Which led to them being hunted for food, for feathers, and as specimens for museums and private collections. By the mid-16th century, the nesting colonies along the European side of the Atlantic were nearly all eliminated by humans killing this bird for its down, which was used to make pillows. Several efforts were made to protect it by Great Britain in the 16th century, but none succeeded.
In July 1840, the last great auk in Britain was caught and killed. Three men from St Kilda caught one, noticing its little wings and the large white spot on its head. They kept it alive for three days, until a large storm arose. Believing that the auk was a witch and the cause of the storm, they then killed it by beating it with a stick. The last pair of Auks, found incubating an egg, were killed on 3 July 1844, on request from a merchant who wanted specimens, with two men strangling the adults and another smashing the egg with his boot....