Great auks were driven to extinction by a scientific market for stuffed eggs and carcasses.
Oscar Dominguez/Alamy
the last of its kind
Gisli Persson (Princeton University Press Out now in the US, April 2nd in the UK)
In 1858, British scientists John Walley and Alfred Newton traveled to Iceland to study the great auk, a large flightless seabird. They wanted to observe the bird in its natural habitat and perhaps bring back eggs, skins and stuffed animals to add to their collection.
This didn't work…
Source: www.newscientist.com
