Fulmar

The fulmars are tubenosed seabirds of the family Procellariidae. The family consists of two extant species and two extinct fossils from the Miocene.

Fulmars superficially resemble gulls, but are readily distinguished by their flight on stiff wings, and their tube noses. They breed on cliffs, laying a single egg on a ledge of bare rock. Outside the breeding season, they are pelagic, feeding on fish, squid and shrimp in the open ocean. They are long-lived for birds, living for up to 40 years.

Historically, the northern fulmar lived on the Isle of St Kilda, where it was extensively hunted. The species has expanded its breeding range southwards to the coasts of England and northern France.

Taxonomy

As members of Procellaridae and then the order Procellariiformes, they share certain traits. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns. The bills of Procellariiformes are unique in being split into between seven and nine horny plates. Finally, they produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This can be sprayed out of their mouths as a defence against predators and as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights. It will mat the plumage of avian predators, which can lead to their death. Fulmars have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe. It excretes a strong saline solution from their nose.

Fulmar (disambiguation)

Fulmar may refer to:

Fulmar (1868)

The Fulmar was a cargo vessel that sank of the coast of Kilkee, County Clare on the night of 30 January 1886. At the time of the disaster the ship was transporting coal from Troon in Ayrshire, Scotland to Limerick city in Ireland. Occurring 50 years to the day of the sinking of the Intrinsic, the ship is one of four that have perished with loss of life off the coast of the small town of Kilkee, the others being the Edmond, and the Inishtrahull.

Background

Originally built for Francis Atkinson in 1868, the ship was bought in 1877 by Middlesbrough businessman James Dixon. The sinking of the vessel was not the first time it had been en-toiled in trouble, with the ship running aground near the French town of Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1883. After this the ship required extensive repairs, with the bill eventually coming to around £6,000 (£300,000 today). The ship was then laid up in the Royal Victoria Dock in London for 2 years, only being used for a few coastal voyages in the intervening period. The port side of the ship suffered damage when lying in Dún Laoghaire harbour in 1885 and on its return to Troon in Scotland, began to leak. When the vessel arrived in Troon harbour it was given temporary repairs and decided that the ship would continue on to Limerick, as it had been chartered, and when it returned it would be sent to Cardiff for a full overhaul and repair.