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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIs 62 too old to become a mom?
Evidently not.
Albatross named Wisdom astounds scientists by producing chick at age 62
She is described as awesome. And wonderful. And maybe a little weird. She is the worlds oldest known living wild bird at age 62, and she produced a healthy chick that hatched Sunday.
Its pretty amazing that Wisdom, named by scientists who stuck a tag on her ankle years ago, has lived this long. The average Laysan albatross dies at less than half her age. Scientists thought that, like other birds, albatross females became infertile late in life and carried on without producing chicks.
But Wisdom, who hatched the chick at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific Ocean, defies comparison. Her feat could prompt scientists to chuck some of their early theories about the bird out the door.
Wisdom has raised chicks five times since 2006, and as many as 35 in her lifetime. Just as astonishing, she has likely flown up to 3 million miles since she was first tagged at Midway Atoll at the end of the Hawaiian Island chain in 1956, according to scientists who have tracked her at the U.S. Geological Survey. Thats 4 to 6 trips from the Earth to the Moon and back again with plenty of miles to spare, the USGS said in an enthusiastic announcement Tuesday.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/albatross-named-wisdom-astounds-scientists-by-giving-birth-at-age-62/2013/02/05/f46a68a6-6fc5-11e2-8b8d-e0b59a1b8e2a_story.html?wprss&google_editors_picks=true
surrealAmerican
(11,361 posts)What a good old bird story!
nolabear
(41,984 posts)Wouldn't do it myself, but rock on, Sister Wisdom!
sadalien
(62 posts)panader0
(25,816 posts)is begging to be droned. Where is that prurient pest?
cali
(114,904 posts)virgogal
(10,178 posts)Solly Mack
(90,769 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)srican69
(1,426 posts)baby ... and she wouldn't be around much longer to mother her baby ... how is that fair to the baby.
Hekate
(90,714 posts)5th Rec for Wisdom.
Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)Heard the story on NPR.
jerseyjack
(1,361 posts)He fathered three offspring last year. He is now bringing twigs to the next in preparation for this year's frisking about on 5th Avenue.
Rent the movie from Netflix. (I am in it for about 2 seconds in the background.)
cali
(114,904 posts)I'll have to check out the movie.
RILib
(862 posts)He's lost several mates and offspring to secondary poisoning from the bait set out by nearby places that leave garbage exposed and then wonder why they have rats and mice.
ReRe
(10,597 posts)...a 62 yr old Albatross named Wisdom. Well, I'd say she is a wise old bird! I wonder if they have been tagging her chicks since 2006? Thanks for the story, cali.