Why are there no penguins in the North Pole? Walking into the sad history of the great puffin

When it comes to penguins, the first thing that comes to mind is the South Pole. So why are there no penguins in the Arctic, which is also polar? Next, the editor of Tuliu.com will take you into this sad past.

There used to be penguins in the North Pole

If you go back 1000 years, if you ask Beiji that there are no penguins, people will wonder, "there are penguins in the North Pole." Yes, at that time, there were penguins in the North Pole! So the bird with white belly and black coat is called "big penguin" or "puffin".

Why are there no penguins in the North Pole?

But in the 16th century, when the era of great navigation came, and explorers crossed the ocean to the islands off the coast of Newfoundland, where Arctic penguins live, the disaster of these "great puffins" (explorers first called arctic penguins "puffins") began.

The French explorer Jacques Cartier wrote in his diary in 1543: "these great puffins are so fat that they are wonderful." In less than half an hour, the birds we caught were filled with two small boats, which were almost as motionless as stones. In addition to eating their fresh meat directly, we salted five or six barrels of the birds on each boat. "

Arctic penguins, which have coexisted peacefully with humans for thousands of years, have suffered a sudden massacre.

Soon, explorers who invaded Newfoundland's aboriginal homes under the guise of "civilization" discovered that Arctic penguins' light and warm feathers could be made into down pillows, mattresses and even fashionable female hats. They built a trap fence out of stone, drove the Arctic penguins in flocks and killed them, and scalded their feathers in a boiling pan.

Ecologist Bill Mattivich later found strong physical evidence of these behaviors in this area: "We found some metal fragments, which may be cauldron fragments used to cook puffins (Arctic penguins), because it is the only way to peel off the feathers under waterproof feathers. In addition, the seabirds with a thick fat layer are also used as fuel for fire. In fact, if you look closely, you will find that these charcoal scriptures. Often interspersed with charred dried sea finches. You know, it is. This is an organized mass slaughter. "

The great voyage opened the prelude of a new era. Human beings were immersed in the great joy of conquering nature, and no one could hear the cry of seabirds. At that time, there was an upsurge of "collecting specimens" in western society. people who claimed to be gentry wanted to have a large number of natural collections, and major museums around the world also had a strong interest in biological specimens, so when Arctic penguins vomited and needed to recuperate, humans began to chase and intercept for another reason. Finally, on July 3, 1844, a tragedy occurred: the last pair of Arctic penguins were killed during hatching.

On the Arctic continent, the change of these great puffins will never be seen again. From then on, there will be no more penguins in the Arctic.