ALBATROSS
Bird - Vertebrate - Carnivore
Bird - Vertebrate - Carnivore
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Male: Albatross
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Female: Albatross
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Young: Chick, Infant
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ALBATROSS
- Eat fish, squid and crustaceans and drink seawater.
- Are the largest sea birds in the world - with a wingtip to wingtip length of approximately 3.2 metres.
- Spend most of their lives at sea and only come to land to make their nests.
- Nest in rookeries on cliff edges.
- Most are found in the southern hemisphere from Antarctica to Australia, South Africa and South America.
- The North Pacific albatrosses are found in the North Pacific from Hawaii to Japan, California and Alaska.
- The Waved Albatross breeds in the Galapagos Islands and feeds off the coast of South America.
- Gets rid of the salt in drips from its huge 'tub-nose' and this makes it look as if it is crying.
- Because the albatross depends on the wind to fly, and sailors depend upon the wind to sail, the albatross became a good omen to sailors.
- Don't breed until they are about 10 years old and some are known to breed at the age of 60 years.
- Can sleep while it flies.
- Can fly around the world in less than 2 months.
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'THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER', by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
"There was a ship", said the mariner, as he commenced his sorrowful tale. A storm-blast “tyrannous and strong” drove the ship and crew deep into the southern ocean which was “wondrous and cold”, and full of sea ice.
A great bird, an albatross came to visit the crew. A peaceful creature, the albatross came to the mariner’s ship often. The great white bird was a symbol of good luck for the seamen.
"There was a ship", said the mariner, as he commenced his sorrowful tale. A storm-blast “tyrannous and strong” drove the ship and crew deep into the southern ocean which was “wondrous and cold”, and full of sea ice.
A great bird, an albatross came to visit the crew. A peaceful creature, the albatross came to the mariner’s ship often. The great white bird was a symbol of good luck for the seamen.
This poem was written in 1797-1798.