Great auk

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/great-auk

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Pinguinus impennis
2. What did the Great Auk look like?It was a big, flightless bird about 75‑85 cm tall and 5 kg heavy. Its back was black, belly white, and it had a heavy, grooved beak. Its wings were turned into flippers for swimming.
3. Where did the Great Auk live and where did it swim?It lived in the cold North Atlantic, breeding on remote, wave‑battered islands. During the non‑breeding season it swam from Canada and Greenland all the way to northern Spain.

Flightless Alcids: A subfamily of seabirds within the Alcidae family that have lost the ability to fly, adapted for diving and swimming.
Piscivorous: An animal that primarily eats fish.
Endemic: Native or restricted to a certain country or area; in this case, specific islands for breeding.
Museum Specimens: Preserved biological samples collected for scientific study, display, and historical record.