Great auk, 19th century artwork is a photograph by Science Photo Library which was uploaded on March 7th, 2014.
Great auk, 19th century artwork
Great auk (Pinguinus impennis), artwork. This flightless bird inhabited the north Atlantic, breeding on rocky islands. It grew up to 85 centimetres... more
Title
Great auk, 19th century artwork
Artist
Science Photo Library
Medium
Photograph
Description
Great auk (Pinguinus impennis), artwork. This flightless bird inhabited the north Atlantic, breeding on rocky islands. It grew up to 85 centimetres tall and weighed around 5 kilograms. It was an excellent swimmer and hunted fish and crabs as well as feeding on plankton. It became extinct in the 19th century, largely due to overfishing for its down. Plate 22 from 'Watercolour drawings of British Animals' (1831-1841) by William MacGillivray. This illustration is dated 1839.
Uploaded
March 7th, 2014