📸 PhotoPhoto: Mark Jobling · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Source
Snowy Albatross
Diomedea exulans (Snowy Albatross · ワタリアホウドリ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its wingspan of 3.1 m is about two-thirds (2/3) the length of a passenger car (about 4.5 m) (Comparison).
- 💡 Its average mass of 8.13 kg is slightly lighter than a 10 kg bag of rice (Comparison).
- 💡 Because it follows fishing vessels to feed on discarded catch, large flocks can be seen gathering around fishing boats (Animal Diversity Web).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The snowy albatross is a seabird with one of the longest wingspans of any bird. It breeds on subantarctic islands and wanders the open ocean, flying thousands of kilometers.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its wingspan averages over 3 m and its bill is pink. Its body plumage ranges from pure white to dark brown, and its wings range from blackish to a mix of black and white.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It mainly eats fish such as toothfish along with squid, snatching prey at the surface or diving about 1 m deep. Its breeding cycle is once every 2 years, and once paired, mates stay together for life.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List VU (2018) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22698305/132640680
- • IUCN Red List category VU — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • doi.org — avilist.v2026
- • iucnredlist.org — 132640680
- • wikidata.org — Q208682
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:070226 wandering albatross off Kaikoura 3.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Diomedea exulans
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Alexandre Vong · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.