It is not widely publicized, but the great auk was the original penguin. Native to the North Atlantic, and thus the British Isles. The Welsh words of “pen” (meaning head) and “gwyn” (meaning white) were used to describe this species which in life had white spots between its eyes and bill. When Europeans visited the Southern hemisphere and saw similar looking birds, they naturally called them “penguins”.
Sadly the great auk was declared extinct in 1844 after over hunting. Ironically, once it had become scarce, demand from museums and institutions made it all the more profitable to remove from the wild/kill outright.
Our industry-first , and exclusive complete great auk skeleton is an original sculpt by Nova Studios. It is an amalgamation of 6 different referenced skeleton all in museum collections, as well as supplementary pictures found in historical archives. Replicated this way, it better represents a “species average” and removes the infiltration of taxidermy practice or reconstructive attempts so the end result is perhaps a purer representation than a Victorian-era reconstruction.
Our auk comes segmented for easy assembly, which involves a limited series of pins and slots.
A 3D printed base is supplied, but additionally we will include a drill guide for those wishing to make their own mounts.
The entire replica is 3D printed in a 16k resolution resin to exactly replicate the detail of the skeleton.
It is not widely publicized, but the great auk was the original penguin. Native to the North Atlantic, and thus the British Isles. The Welsh words of “pen” (meaning head) and “gwyn” (meaning white) were used to describe this species which in life had white spots between its eyes and bill. When Europeans visited the Southern hemisphere and saw similar looking birds, they naturally called them “penguins”.
Sadly the great auk was declared extinct in 1844 after over hunting. Ironically, once it had become scarce, demand from museums and institutions made it all the more profitable to remove from the wild/kill outright.
Our industry-first , and exclusive complete great auk skeleton is an original sculpt by Nova Studios. It is an amalgamation of 6 different referenced skeleton all in museum collections, as well as supplementary pictures found in historical archives. Replicated this way, it better represents a “species average” and removes the infiltration of taxidermy practice or reconstructive attempts so the end result is perhaps a purer representation than a Victorian-era reconstruction.
Our auk comes segmented for easy assembly, which involves a limited series of pins and slots.
A 3D printed base is supplied, but additionally we will include a drill guide for those wishing to make their own mounts.
The entire replica is 3D printed in a 16k resolution resin to exactly replicate the detail of the skeleton.
