Finally, they produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus.

[3] They also have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and that helps desalinate their bodies, to compensate for the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe.

Fossil species The North Pacific albatross ranges in size from 190 to 240 cm (75–94 in) and they all have short black tails.

[5] Observations made during June 2010 from the Hokkaido University research vessel the Oshoro Maru in the western North Pacific showed an apparent symbiotic relationship between a school of 57 ocean sunfish (Mola mola) and Laysan and black-footed albatrosses.

[6] When roosting, they choose isolated sites and lay one egg, with both parents incubating and raising the chick.