Last night I learned that the last great auk was killed because it was suspected of being a witch. Humans have some wild ideas. #natureofmastoson #NaturalHistory #GreatAuk #extinction #bird #witch

The last witch of St. Kilda. The last sighting of the Great Auk in the British Isles was in 1840 when islanders in Stac an Armin suspected the bird was a witch and the cause of a tremendous storm #skilda #greatauk #stacanarmin #brianmchenry

Hi everyone! I'm new to Mastodon and still trying to figure it out. I'm currently researching the Great Auk, and its extinction timing in Maine, for my senior thesis at Middlebury College. I think I may want to pursue seabird evolution in my graduate studies, but I also love frogs, bats, and more generally ecomorphology. I'm still very open :) I'm excited to meet other people here with similar interests! #paleontology #seabird #evolution #extinction #greatauk