the.com/fulmar
the seabird that defends its nest by vomiting weaponized oil that ruins a predator's feathers
means A stocky gull-like seabird of the petrel family, found in cold northern and southern oceans, known for stiff-winged gliding and a foul-smelling oil it spits in defense.
from From the Old Norse 'fúll' (foul, stinking) plus 'már' (gull, mew) — quite literally the 'foul gull,' named by Norse-speaking islanders who knew exactly what the bird's oily defense smelled like. The name likely reached English through the Hebridean and Scottish island communities where the fulmar was long hunted for its oil, meat, and feathers.
- oil defense
- Projectile vomit can waterproof-wreck a rival bird, drowning it
- name origin
- Old Norse for foul gull, after the stench
- lifespan
- Can live past 60 years at sea
- tube nose
- Nostril tubes excrete excess salt from seawater
- not a gull
- Actually a petrel, cousin to the albatross
northern fulmar — seabird with 50+ million individuals across north atlantic and arctic waters
southern fulmar — antarctic species, breeds on sub-antarctic islands like south georgia