Flightless bird Flightless bird Flightless birds are birds that through evolution lost the ability to fly. There are over 60 extant species including the well known ratites (ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea and kiwi) and penguins. The smallest flightless bird is the Inaccessible Island rail (length 12.5 cm, weight 34.7 g). The largest (both heaviest and tallest) flightless bird, which is also the largest living bird, is the ostrich (2.7 m, 156 kg). Ostriches are farmed for their decorative feathers, meat and their skins, which are used to make leather. Many domesticated birds, such as the domestic chicken and domestic duck, have lost
Southern California Marine Institute Southern California Marine Institute The Southern California Marine Institute (SCMI) is a multi-campus research facility and non-profit oceanographic institution headquartered in Terminal Island, California. In the late 1960s, marine scientists working at six campuses of the CSU system in the Los Angeles basin (Dominguez Hills, Fullerton, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Northridge, and Cal Poly Pomona) proposed the formation of an institute that would provide the advancement of marine programs. It was until 1971, when the university system decided to purchase the naval vessel R/V Nautilus for that specific purpose. In 1972, the creation of the Southern California Ocean Studies Consortium