70-Year-Old Albatross Is Actively Looking for Love After Her Mate Passed Away
Biologists in the North Pacific Ocean have spotted a saucy albatross named 'Wisdom' trying to find a new mate after her long term boyfriend, named Akeakamai, hasn't been seen around for the last few nesting seasons.
Wisdom has been dancing with potential mates. Oh lala!
Live Science reports, "Wisdom, the world's oldest known wild bird, was photographed again last month on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, dancing with potential mates. Her long-term mate, Akeakamai, has yet to be seen and was absent the last two nesting seasons, too."
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Female Laysan albatrosses usually lay a single egg in the first half of December, but Wisdom was still participating in mating dances well into spring, said Jonathan Plissner, the supervisory wildlife biologist at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, a nature reserve 1,310 miles (2,110 km) northwest of Honolulu. Live Science also says that Midway Atoll, or Kuaihelani in Hawaiian, hosts the biggest colony of Laysan albatrosses in the world, with 600,000 breeding pairs returning to its two sandy islands every year.
In this video you can see their actual courtship dance and it's pretty amazing.
The way they bob their heads in unison and stomp their feet is pretty adorable, plus I really wasn't expecting an albatross to sound like that.
Fun Facts About Albatross Birds
The laysan albatross averages 32 in in length and has a wingspan of 77–80 in. They have the largest wingspan of any bird.
The Laysan albatross feeds predominantly on cephalopods, but also eats fish, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. They actually can dive into the water and can reach five meters deep to get their food.
These amazing birds can even sleep while flying, and they can go years without ever touching land. It takes them about two months to fly all the way around the earth. They can even fly for days without ever flapping their wings.
As for Wisdom finding a new boyfriend? Courtship for the laysan albatross have these super elaborate ‘dances’ that have up to 25 ritualized movements. That's how they find a partner to mate with. It's believed that Wisdom has hatched 40 or more chicks. These birds usually mate for life. Well, you know, unless their partner dies.
Wishing you the best Wisdom. You go get your man!
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