Great Auk

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Alcidae

Genus: †Pinguinus

Species: †Pinguinus impennis

Descendant: other auks

Named by: Carl Linnaeus

Year Published: 1758 (10th edition of Systema Naturae)

Size: 75 to 85 centimeters (30 to 33 in) tall and weighing approximately 5 kilograms (11 lb)

Lifespan: 20 to 25 years

Activity: Diurnal 🌅 

Thermoregulate: Endotherm 

Type(s): 

• Reptiles (Archosaurs)

  • Birds (Auks)

Title(s): 

• Flightless Auk

Other Name(s)/Alias(es):

• The Penguin

Pantheon: Terran/Gaian 🇺🇳🌍

Time Period: Miocene-Late Holocene (Barremian-Campanian) - 23.03 MYA BCE – 1852 AD

Alignment: Docile

Threat Level: ★★★

Diet: Carnivorous 🥩🐟💧

Element(s): Water 🌊

Inflict(s): Waterblight 🌊, Vomitblight 🤮, Oilblight 🛢️

Weakness(es): Electric ⚡, Leaf 🌿, Fae 🧚🏻

Casualties: n/a

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: Extinct (EX) – IUCN Red List (July 3, 1844 AD)

The word 'auk' /ɔːk/ is derived from Icelandic álka and Norwegian alka or alke, from Old Norse ālka, from Proto-Germanic *alkǭ (sea-bird, auk).

• Singular: auk

• Plural: auks

The great auk was the largest alcid to survive into the modern period, standing at 75 to 85 centimeters (30 to 33 inches) tall and weighing roughly 5 kilograms (11 pounds). It was also the second-largest member of the alcid family overall, with the ancient Miomancalla being larger.

Its belly was white, and its back was black. The black beak had grooves on its surface and was hefty and hooked. The great auk's summer plumage had a white patch over each eye. The great auk lost these patches in the winter and instead developed a white strip that ran between their eyes. The bird was unable to fly because its wings were just 15 cm (6 in) length.

Great auks can swim to depths of more than 75 meters and use their wings as flippers, just like penguins. The auk was incredibly quick and nimble underwater. These big auks are awkward, slow, and fragile on land, and they are unable to successfully elude predators or people.

In Rapunzel's universe, great auks are able to spit forth globules of water and oil mucus at their adversaries. The mucus reduces the rate at which stamina recovers by inflicting Waterblight with Oilblight on adversaries.

It was ungainly on land, yet agile in the water. Great auk couples were lifelong partners. They laid a single egg on exposed rock and nested in incredibly sociable and dense colonies. The egg had varying brown marbling and was white in color. Before the baby hatched, the egg was incubated for about six weeks by both parents. After two or three weeks, the young departed the nest location, but the parents took care of it.

This alcid typically fed in shoaling waters that were shallower than those frequented by other alcids, although after the breeding season, they had been sighted as far as 500 km (270 nmi) from land. They are believed to have fed cooperatively in flocks. Their main food was fish, usually 12 to 20 cm (4+1⁄2 to 8 in) in length and weighing 40 to 50 g (1+3⁄8 to 1+3⁄4 oz), but occasionally their prey was up to half the bird's own length.

Based on remains associated with great auk bones found on Funk Island and on ecological and morphological considerations, it seems that Atlantic menhaden and capelin were their favored prey. Other fish suggested as potential prey include lumpsuckers, shorthorn sculpins, cod, sand lance, as well as crustaceans.

Reproduction

• Breeding style: Colonial breeder on isolated rocky islands

• Eggs:

  • One single, very large egg

  • Cream-colored with dark streaks (each egg uniquely patterned)

• Parental care: Both parents incubated and fed the chick

• Breeding rate: Extremely slow → one chick per year at best

During breeding season, the great auk is extremely social. Their primary vocalizations are growls and loud croaks. This auk's seasonality is that they spent the majority of their lives at sea and only came onshore to reproduce. However, the migration is a seasonal movement that follows schools of fish.

This auk had never developed a fear of terrestrial predators and was naturally docile and fearless of people. Great auks are cautious around people and other predators and go into the water when approached. They are easy to catch by hand or with sticks and did not run away even when others were killed nearby. Its disappearance was directly caused by this absence of fear.

Main Causes

• Overhunting

  • For meat (sailors).

  • For oil (lighting and lubrication).

• Feathers

  • Massive slaughter for pillow and mattress stuffing.

• Egg collection

  • Eggs crushed in huge numbers.

• Scientific collecting

  • Final individuals killed for museum specimens.

Final Event

On July 3, 1844, two Templar fishermen killed the last confirmed pair of great auks at Eldey Island, Iceland.

De-extinction

A non-profit company called Revive and Restore has determined that the great auk is a good candidate for de-extinction. The great auk cannot be cloned due to its extinction, but its DNA can be used to modify the genome of its nearest relative, the razorbill, and produce hybrids that will resemble the original great auks in many ways. They will be reintroduced into their natural environment, where they will coexist with puffins and razorbills, which are also in danger of going extinct.

This would aid in the restoration of that portion of the ecosystem and biodiversity. Additionally, Colossal Biosciences has indicated interest in bringing the species back to life.

There were very few great auk nesting grounds due to the rarity of rocky, isolated islands with easy access to the water and an abundance of food. They foraged in the North Atlantic, which far south as northern Spain and along the coasts of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Ireland, and Great Britain, when they were not reproducing.

On July 3, 1844, fishermen killed the last confirmed pair of great auks at Eldey Island, Iceland.

The great auk has been identified as a good candidate for de-extinction by Revive and Restore, a non-profit organisation. Because the great auk is extinct it cannot be cloned, but its DNA can be used to alter the genome of its closest relative, the razorbill, and breed the hybrids to create a species that will be very similar to the original great auks. The plan is to introduce them back into their original habitat, which they would then share with razorbills and puffins, who are also at risk for extinction. This would help restore the biodiversity and restore that part of the ecosystem.

During The Recollections of Queen Arianna (TROQA) saga in the 2600s and 2700s, the "Sky People," or Terrans from Earth, brought the great auk to two exoplanets that resembled Earth: Berbania from Ursa Major and Reinachos from Cygnus. Despite the death of our planet, conservation efforts are helping this species recover from endangerment or near extinction. The auk became an invasive species as a result of human interactions for game hunting and rewilding. In two exoplanets that resembled Earth, this auk lived in conditions and climates identical to those of Earth.

• Movement Pattern: Full Migrant

• Individual Type: Gather

• Population Trend: 

  • Earth: Stable (since Jul 3, 1844 CE)

  • Berbania: Increasing

  • Reinachos: Unspecific

  • Thatrollwa: Unspecific

• Population: 

  • Earth: 0

  • Berbania: 70,000

  • Reinachos: 10,000,000

  • Thatrollwa: 45,000

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• Habitat: Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Fields; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Mountain; Sky; Warm River; Cold River; Lukewarm River; Warm Littoral; Cold Littoral; Warm Intertidal; Cold Intertidal; Radiated Citadel; Volcano; Warm Ghost Town; Cold Ghost Town; Ruined Skyscraper.

• Earth:

  • Extinct: Canada; Faroe Islands; Greenland; Iceland; Ireland; United Kingdom

Coming soon

Bereshit - 70,000 BCE

Like all animals, monsters, and various organisms other than plants and fungi on planet Earth, great auks are genetically engineered from pre-existing species; their pre-existing species were all wiped out by overexploitation and selective breeding, and great auks and others were molded to suit the specific requirements of their "deity" masters. The great auks were destined to serve as laborers.

Pre-Historya Davvun: Corona Odyssey - 1760s

The Assassin Order-turned-Templar Shay Cormac frequently encountered them when exploring islands in the North Atlantic, where they often gathered in flocks on rocky beaches and fled into the water when approached. Some of these eggs are collected by Shay, the container for saving the species from extinction; this box is from Haiti and Dominican Republic.

Last Confirm - July 3, 1844 AD

On July 3, 1844, the Templar fishermen killed the last confirmed pair of great auks at Eldey Island, Iceland.

No Way to Seaway - 2010-2019 AD

After Shay Cormac and Desmond Miles's deaths, the great auks were re-killed by Abstergo Industries and world organizations as a sign of vengeance, and there was no one to save because the Templar Order, the Assassin Order, and the Conservationist Hunters are "real" criminals. There is an ongoing discussion about the possibilities for reviving the great auk using its DNA from specimens collected or from Sawintir, another world on our planet.

• ugh

• Arabic: أوك عظيم

• asturianu: Alca xigante

• Asamiya: অ'ক চৰাই

• Bulgarian: Гигантска гагарка

• brezhoneg: God bras

• català: Alca gegant

• čeština: Alka velká

• dansk: Gejrfugl

• Deutsch: Riesenalk

• English: Great Auk

• Esperanto: Granda aŭko

• Español: Alca gigante

• eesti: Hiidalk

• Farsi: ماهی‌گیرک بزرگ

• Suomi: Siivetönruokki

• Føroyskt: Gorfuglur

• Français: Grand Pingouin

• Frysk: Grutte Alk

• Gaeilge: Falcóg mhór

• Gàidhlig: Gearra-bhall

• Galego: Arao xigante

• Hebrew: אלקה גדולה

• Hrvatski: Velika njorka

• Magyar: Óriásalka

• Bahasa Indonesia: Alka besar

• íslenska: Geirfugl

• Italiano: Alca impenne

• Nihongo: オオウミガラスJ

• awa: Auk gedhé

• Georgian: უფრთო ალკა

• Kazakh: Қанатсыз маймақ қом

• Kalaallisut: Apparluk

• Korean: 큰바다쇠오리

• Lietuvių: Didžioji alka

• Latviešu: Milzu alks

• Malayalam: ഗ്രേറ്റ് ഓക്ക്

• Hill Mari: Шылдырдымы гагарка

• Maori: Auku kingi

• Nederlands: Reuzenalk

• Norsk nynorsk: Geirfugl

• Norsk: Geirfugl

• Kapampangan: Maragul a Auk

• Polski: Alka olbrzymia

• Português: Torda-grande

• Română: Marele pinguin nordic

• Russian: Бескрылая гагарка

• Davvisámegiella: Soajáhis ruohkisrpsko

• Serbo-Croatian: Velika njorka

• Slovenčina: Alka veľká

• Slovenščina: Orjaška njorka

• Serbian: Велика њорка

• Svenska: Garfågel

• Tagalog: Malaking alka

• Telugu: பெரிய ஓக்

• Türkçe: Büyük dalıcımartı

• Ukrainian: Гагарка велика

• Tiếng Việt: An ca lớn

• 吴语: 大海雀

• 粵語: 大海雀

• 中文: 大海雀

• Coming soon

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_auk

• https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Pinguinus_impennis

• https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pinguinus_impennis/

• https://www.gbif.org/species/113360689

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22694856/205919631

• https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/great-auks-become-extinct/

• https://assassinscreed.fandom.com/wiki/Great_auk

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Great-Auk-1013321364