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The Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis) is an extinct species of seabird native to the north Atlantic.
This is a small pack that features a:
- 1 land impact (in fact 0.5 LI) 3D mesh Great Auk(silent)
- 1 land impact (in fact 0.5 LI) 3D mesh Great Auk(that will randomly give its call). I created a unique, but plausible call for this extinct bird based on a call of its close living relative - the razorbill.
- 2 land impact museum 3D Great Auk specimen, complete with a glass casing and plaque (see screenshots).
All are copy and mod.
This mesh bird, its shape and coloring is closely based on the surviving museum specimens.
The Great auk was a flightless seabird. It spent most of its life at sea, feeding on fish and crustaceans. It came to land only to breed in huge colonies of hundreds of individuals, laying a single egg. Its known breedings sites included islands off Newfoundland, the Orkneys, Shetlands, outer Hebrides, Norway and Iceland. Prehistoric remains of this bird were found as far south as Spain, Germany and Florida. This bird was known also as the Garefowl, 'Falcóg mhór, apponaz or penguinus.In fact the southern hemisphere penguins got their name precisely because they reminded the european exlorers of the Great Auk.
This species was known and valued by the medieval Celts and Vikings and was featured in their myths and lore. The bird was sacred to native americans of newfoundland, its beaks often found in graves.
This species is sadly now lost forever. It suffered greatly due to industrial-scale hunting in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was hunted primarily for its feathers that were used to stuff mattresses.
By 1800 the bird was gone from the shores of America, which once held most of the population of this species. The rare bird became an obsession of victorian sicentists, who further contributed to its demise through their demend for stuffed specimens. By 1840 the once common Great Auk was limited to rocky isles off Iceland and the Outer Hebrides. In July 1844 on the small icelandic island of Eldey, the last pair were killed by collectors.
And so, the breeding sites once teeming with the voices of hundreds of Auks fell forever silent.
This is a recreation of this extinct bird. It cannot be seen in real life anyome, so the least I could do is make a small homage to this lost bird.
Enjoy!
