Antarctic giant petrel, Giant fulmar, Stinker, Stinkpot
The southern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus ), also known as the Antarctic giant petrel, giant fulmar, stinker, and stinkpot, is a large seabird of the southern oceans. Its distribution overlaps broadly with the similar northern giant petrel, though it overall is centered slightly further south. Adults of the two species can be distinguished by the colour of their bill-tip: greenish in the southern and reddish in the northern.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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ScavengerScavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While sc...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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SeabirdSeabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, b...
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Pelagic birdsPelagic birds live on open seas and oceans rather than inland or around more restricted waters such as rivers and lakes. They feed on planktonic cr...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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Soaring birdsSoaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
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SeabirdSeabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, b...
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GlidingGliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust and is employed by gliding animals. Birds in particular use gliding flight to m...
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AquaticAn aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract ...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withVi
Vicious AnimalsThe Southern giant petrel is a large seabird of the southern oceans. There are two different morphs of this species. The dark morph in which the upper breast, head, and neck are light with the remainder of the plumage being mottled brown. The light morph is rarer and very distinct with only slight black speckles on an otherwise all-white look. As juveniles, the dark morph starts off more sooty brown and pales as it ages. Giant petrels have strong legs and can move around on land effectively. When in flight this species has a somewhat hunchbacked appearance.
Southern giant petrels range from Antarctica to the subtropics of Chile, Africa, and Australia. They breed on numerous islands throughout the southern oceans. The islands with larger populations include the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Orkney Islands, Staten Island, South Shetland, Heard Island, Macquarie Island, the Prince Edward Islands, and the Crozet Islands. These birds feed in coastal waters and in the open ocean and breed on ice-free coastal areas and offshore rocks.
Outside of the breeding season, Southern giant petrels prefer to stay alone; however, around good feeding areas, they may gather in groups and fish together. These birds feed during the day in coastal and pelagic waters where they often follow fishing boats and cruise ships. They are extremely aggressive predators and will kill other seabirds (usually penguin chicks, sick or injured adult penguins, and the chicks of other seabirds). They have even been seen preying on the adult Australasian gannet by holding it underwater and drowning it. Southern giant petrels have also been observed drowning Yellow-nosed and Black-browed albatrosses.
Southern giant petrels are carnivores (piscivores) and scavengers. They feed on fish, krill, squid, and crustaceans. They will also eat other seabirds, carrion, and offal from vessels.
Southern giant petrels are monogamous and form long-lasting pair bonds. Their breeding season begins in October. These birds usually breed in loose colonies except in the Falkland Islands where the colonies are much larger. The nest is a mound of moss, grass, and stones with a depression in the center and is located on the bare or grassy ground. Females lay one white egg that is incubated for 55-66 days. During this time the egg is always guarded by at least one of the parents. When the white chick is born it is brooded for 2 to 3 weeks and it fledges at 104-132 days. Young Southern giant petrels achieve reproductive maturity at 6 or 7 years of age; however, the average age of first breeding is usually 10 years.
Major threats to this species start with the accidental deaths caused by longline fishing as well as trawl fishing near the Falkland Islands. Between 2,000 and 4,000 birds were killed in 1997-1998 due to illegal longline fishing. Also, the number of Southern elephant seals, which is an important source of food as carrion, has been shrinking. Human disturbances and persecution have also adversely affected populations of the Southern giant petrel.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total Southern giant petrel population size is around 95,000-108,000 mature individuals. This includes 19,500 pairs on the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); 5,500 pairs on South Georgia (Georgias del Sur); 5,400 pairs on the South Shetland Islands (Shetland del Sur); 3,350 pairs on South Orkney Island (Orcadas del Sur); 2,500 pairs on Heard and MacDonald Islands; 2,145 pairs on Macquarie Island; 2,300 pairs in Argentina; 230 pairs on the Tristan da Cunha Islands; 280 pairs on the Antarctic Continent; 1,190 pairs on the Antarctic Peninsula; 1,550 pairs on the South Sandwich Islands; 2,800 pairs on the Prince Edward Islands; 1,060 pairs on Iles Crozet and four pairs in Iles Kerguelen. Overall, currently, Southern giant petrels are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and their numbers today are increasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...