Tristan albatross

The Tristan albatross (Diomedea dabbenena) is a large seabird from the albatross family. One of the great albatrosses of the genus Diomedea, it was only widely recognised as a full species in 1998.

Taxonomy

Albatrosses belong to the family Diomedeidae of the order Procellariiformes, along with shearwaters, fulmars, storm petrels, and diving petrels. They share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns, although the nostrils on the albatross are on the sides of the bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between 7 and 9 horny plates. Albatrosses also produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This is used against predators as well as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights.

While not all scientists believe it is a full species with some retaining it as a subspecies of the wandering albatross, a 2004 study of the mitochondrial DNA of the wandering albatross species complex supported the split. Other studies have shown it to be the most genetically distinct member of the wandering albatross superspecies. This may be due to it diverging from their common ancestor before all its relatives, or because it underwent particularly strong genetic drift. Among the major experts, BirdLife International has split this species, Jeff Clements has not yet, and the SACC has a proposal on the table to split it.

Tristan

Tristan (Latin & Brythonic: Drustanus; Welsh: Trystan), also known as Tristram, is the male hero of the Arthurian Tristan and Iseult story. He was a Cornish knight of the Round Table. He is the son of Blancheflor and Rivalen (in later versions Isabelle and Meliodas), and the nephew of King Mark of Cornwall, sent to fetch Iseult back from Ireland to wed the king. However, he and Iseult accidentally consume a love potion while en route and fall helplessly in love. The pair undergo numerous trials that test their secret affair.

Tristan legend cycle

Tristan made his first medieval appearance in the twelfth century in Celtic mythology circulating in the north of France and the Kingdom of Brittany, which had close ancestral and cultural links with Cornwall by way of the ancient British kingdom of Dumnonia, as made clear in the story itself, and the closely related Cornish and Breton languages. Although the oldest stories concerning Tristan are lost, some of the derivatives still exist. Most early versions fall into one of two branches, the "courtly" branch represented in the retellings of the Anglo-Norman poet Thomas of Britain and his German successor Gottfried von Strassburg, and in the Folie Tristan d'Oxford; and the "common" branch, including the works of the French. The name Tristan is also known as "Trischin" in the Maltese culture.

Tristan (Guinea)

Tristan (also: Tristao) is the largest island in the Tristan and Capken Islands, Guinea. Its area is 226 km².

Coordinates: 10°52′N 14°55′W / 10.867°N 14.917°W / 10.867; -14.917

Tristan (name)

Tristan or Tristram is a given name of Welsh origin. It originates from the Brythonic name Drust or Drustanus. It derives from a stem meaning "noise", seen in the modern Welsh noun trwst (plural trystau) and the verb trystio "to clatter". The name has also been interpreted as meaning "bold."

It became popularized through the character of Tristan, one of the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. The modern form is most likely influenced by the Latin root tristis (tant triste in the medieval French version of the myth), meaning "sad" or "sorrowful". The recent rise in the name Tristan is also attributed to a movie character of the same name played by actor Brad Pitt in the film Legends of the Fall.

Tristan is the 87th most popular baby name in the United States, and has been consistently among the top 1,000 names given to baby boys since 1971. There are various alternate forms of the name (popularity in parentheses): Tristen (1432), Triston (326), Tristin (536), Tristian (423), Trystan (5000), and Trysten (1).