What is a great auk?

The great auk is one of the more frequently referenced extinct birds in literature, much like the famous dodo. It appears in many works of children's literature. Charles Kingsley 's The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby includes a great auk telling the tale of the extinction of its species.

What is a great auk cloak?

The great auk was an important part of many Native American cultures, both as a food source and as a symbolic item. Many Maritime Archaic people were buried with great auk bones. One burial discovered included someone covered by more than 200 great auk beaks, which are presumed to be the remnants of a cloak made of great auks' skins.

Is a great auk extinct?

The great auk ( Pinguinus impennis) is a species of flightless alcid that became extinct in the mid-19th century. It was the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus.

Could the great auk be reconstructed?

Since everything from eggs to feathers and skin to intestines of Great Auks have been preserved in museums, a lot of DNA exists. This has prompted still on-going discussions among scientists on the feasibility of the reconstruction of the Great Auk.