The Great Auk
Extinct
It
is claimed that sailors clubbed the last two living
Great Auks to death in 1844. They were killed in vast
numbers for food, their oil, feathers, skins and eggs.
Famous
naturalists of the time went to great lengths to purchase
eggs from sailors to add to their collections and
they proudly named them after themselves. 75 of these
old and fragile eggs remain to this day in museums
throughout the world. They serve to remind us of mans’
greed and ignorance.
The
eggs of the Great Auk like its close living relative
the Guillemot would have been extremely varied and
colourful.
These replica Great Auk eggs represent eggs found
in museums. They are made from calcium resin composite,
which gives them an eggshell appearance and feel.
They are hollow with blow-holes.
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