Baby albatross adorably begs hiker for food in the Galapagos Islands

The albatross is the largest flying bird and it has the longest wingspan of any living bird. It's wings reach 3.7m (12 feet) in span. They are enormous creatures and highly efficient flyers. Albatrosses make lengthy journeys over water, able to soar on air currents with little exertion. They have the ability to lock the tendons in their wings to greatly reduce the effort required to keep their wings outstretched. Although it is widely believed that they can sleep in the air, this is yet to be documented or proven. Albatrosses feed on squid, fish, and krill by diving and surface scavenging.

The albatross mates for life and they will lay one egg per season, usually on remote oceanic islands. This is a very young chick that lives on a remote island in the Galapagos. It is highly unlikely that this baby has ever seen a human. A hiker has discovered the baby in a nest beside the seldom used path and he stops to quietly take a video before moving on. The chick watches with curiosity as the hiker captures the moment on video.

This chick has probably seen very few living creatures. It seems to believe that the hiker has come to provide it with food and he opens his mouth imploringly.

The chick's mother is out hunting but she will return periodically to feed her young with regurgitated squid and fish. She will also feed her baby stomach oil that she makes from partially digested food. This is an energy rich food that is lighter and easier for her to carry. Male albatrosses share the parental duties and they mate for life.

Albatrosses are the longest living bird known, with one female named "Wisdom" having been recorded and tracked since 1956.
The hiker capturing this video was careful to not disturb the chick and he quickly moved on after making a brief video. In the Galapagos Islands, the residents have a great respect for nature and the animal life there. They fully understand the need for humans to avoid interference at all costs.