13/08/2025
Chonat Getz
The great auk
The great auk, also known as the penguin or garefowl, is an extinct species of flightless alcid that first appeared around 400,000 years ago and became extinct in the mid-19th century. It was the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus.
The last pair, found incubating an egg, was killed there on 3 July 1844, on request from a merchant who wanted specimens, with Jon Brandsson and Sigurður Ísleifsson strangling the adults and Ketill Ketilsson smashing the egg with his boot.
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