There was a time when the population of great auks was increasing like never before. These birds were present in multiple places of the North Atlantic in massive numbers. These birds were easy to catch, and their meets were quite famous those days. As a result, the population of great auks falls significantly in a very few years. 

When the species got near-extinct, sailers paid a significantly huge amount for their skins, eggs, and meats. The last time when people find the witness of a great auk was way back in 1844. In 1844, an expedition team found two such birds and their only egg. They killed these two birds and crushed their last egg. After the event, the species become extinct from the planet. Noone ever witnessed great auks after the incident. 

While commenting about the extinction of the species, scientists revealed that the combination of climate change and human greed results in the extinction of the species. But a recently published paper suggests something different. 

Claims Made by the Report

Jessica Thomas, the lead author of the report, states that there was no reason for the species, great auks, to become extinct if human beings did not hunt them on a massive scale. Human beings have a long history of hunting the species, but the situation was manageable. In the 15th century, it became a staple for the sailers communities, who are traveling near the North Atlantic. Researchers state that the sailer communities exploit the bird in every possible manner. Sailers eat their meat and eggs, take the remaining to the shore for business, plucked out their feathers for making a pillow, and burn their bodies to get oil. They used these oils for fuel sources. 

Scientists claim that the adaptation skill of great auks was impressive, but the extra greed of our ancestors ensured their extinction. 

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Mary Woods
A news media professional with strong experience in online journalism, content management, and social media. Dwayne’s strength includes the sound knowledge of the environment and nature. Mary manages the Environment based news coverage on Galaxy Reporters.

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