Great auk extinction: Humans wiped out giant seabird [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

By Victoria Gill
Science correspondent, BBC News
2 hours ago



"The great auk will always hold a place in my heart," Dr Jessica Thomas says.


The Swansea-based scientist spent years piecing together an ancient DNA puzzle that suggests hunting by humans caused this giant seabird's demise.

Dr Thomas studied bone and tissue samples from 41 museum specimens during a PhD at both Bangor and Copenhagen University.

The findings paint a picture of how vulnerable even the most common species are to human exploitation.

Storybook seabird
About 80cm (2ft 7in) tall, the stubby-winged and bulbous-billed great auks used to be found all across the north Atlantic - from North America through Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia and the UK.

More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50563953