Chapter 3: The Original Penguin

The chapter begins by demonstrating the concept of the term, “catastrophist” which was coined by William Whewell. He considered himself a catastrophist which meant that he believed that extinction occurs after a sudden event. The opposite of catastrophist is uniformitarian. Charles Lyell, a friend of Georges Cuvier was a uniformitarian. This meant that he believed that extinction is a slow and gradual process that might go unnoticed. He came to this conclusion when he was observing land along the British countryside and volcanic islands near Naples. He noticed that processes of sedimentation and erosion are very discreet and subtle so he connected it to extinction. His findings were distributed by his books. While on a voyage on the HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin read Lyell’s books and encountered many different animals like tortoises, finches and lizards which led to his Theory of Natural Selection. Darwin mainly agreed with Lyell which is evident in his observations with coral reefs. He tied Lyell’s findings to his theory of natural selection and concluded that gradually, certain characteristics of species are forced to change in order to adapt to their surroundings and survive. The author states, “This process, though imperceptibly slow, was, according to Darwin, still very much going on; in biology, as in geology, the present was the key to the past.” (54) 

Kolbert goes to The Icelandic Institute of Natural History to see the Great Auk. These birds were large and didn’t have the ability to fly. They were last found in Iceland but when they were thriving, they could be found all around the world. Auks were often hunted for food since they were characterized as easy prey. These birds are called the original penguins because they have similar traits, like being excellent swimmers. When they aren’t in the water, auks are hunted by Native Americans and Europeans. In the book it states, “Over the next several decades, other uses for the great auk were found besides sustentation. Auks were used as fish bait, as a source of feathers for stuffing mattresses, and as fuel.” (60) Unfortunately, this section also represents the APES theme, Humans alter natural systems. Due to the barbaric and ruthless hunting, the Great Auk went extinct. This connects to the term that was coined by Whewell, because it is a demonstration of cataclysm since a whole species died out in a very short period of time because of human selfishness.