8/2/2023 0 Comments Atlantic puffin size![]() It is the smallest of all the puffin species.There are three species or types of puffins: Atlantic puffin ( Fratercula arctica).Both belong to the same family and compose together the sub-family Fraterculini.Puffins are closely related to the Rhinoceros auklet ( Cerorhinca monocerata ).Although no records exist in the Atlantic that belongs to the Miocene, a further examination of the materials discovered in North Carolina indicated that there was a greater diversity of puffins in the Atlantic during the early Pliocene as it is today in the Pacific.Fossil records of Fraterculini discovered in the Pacific along with three fossil species of Rhinoceros auklet ( Cerorhinca ) date back to as far as the middle Miocene to late Pliocene of northern Mexico and southern California.It is believed that the tribe Fraterculini has a primary origin in the Pacific because of their large diversity there (two of the three extant species of the puffins are from the Pacific).Fossils of the extinct species of puffin, Dow’s puffin ( Fratercula dowi ) discovered on the Channel Islands of California belongs to the Late Pleistocene or early Holocene epoch.The oldest fossil of alcid is Hydrotherikornis discovered in Oregon that dates back to the Late Eocene.Where Do Puffins Come From – Puffin Evolution The following is the scientific classification or taxonomy of the puffin: Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Sub-phylum Vertebrata Class Aves Order Charadriiformes Family Alcidae Tribe Fraterculini Genus Fratercula Species.Probably, puffins are called puffins because their stocky bodies look puffed and swollen.It is an Anglo-norman word, which was used for the preserved carcass of nestling Manx shearwater.Originally, this word referred to the salted, fatty flesh of young Manx shearwater birds.The word “Puffin” is used in the sense of puffed, that is swollen.Puffin means a seabird with a large head and bright-colored triangular-shaped massive beak, who inhabit the northern and Arctic waters and nest in holes.Fratercula cirrhata (Tufted ot crested puffin) 3.The scientific names of the puffins are:.All the puffin birds have specially adapted short wings for swimming. ![]() They make their large breeding colonies on the offshore islands or coastal cliffs.Two species of puffin birds are found in the North Pacific Ocean while the third one is found in the North Atlantic Ocean.Puffins are the pelagic seabirds, which means they primarily feed through diving in the waters of the open ocean. ![]() All the members of puffin birds have bright-colored beaks during the breeding season.It belongs to the bird’s genus Fratercula. ![]()
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