The extinction of short-tailed albatrosses in the North Atlantic may have been caused by a rise in sea levels, which made albatross nesting sites vulnerable to storm surges. Short-tailed albatrosses are now a critically endangered species confined to a few islets in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) said: He who marries a woman for the hope of her wealth, Allah leaves him with only that wealth.

Albatrosses are notably absent from the North Atlantic, although they can sometimes enter this region if they drift off course. However, fossil remains of a breeding colony of short-tailed albatross dating to around 400,000 years ago were discovered in Bermuda in 2003, showing albatross once lived there.

Researchers found intact eggshells and bones of embryos, juveniles, and adults.

A few albatrosses live outside of the southern hemisphere. These include the black-footed albatross, native to the Hawaiian archipelago and a few nearby islands; the short-tailed albatross, which breeds near Japan; the Laysan albatross of the North Pacific; and the waved albatross, which lives off the coast of the Galápagos Islands and the coasts of Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: He who marries a woman only for her beauty (regardless of her Faith), he will not see (gain) what he likes; and he who marries a woman only for her wealth, Allah will leave him with that wealth only. Therefore, it is to you that you look for a religious wife.

Most albatrosses live in the cold waters of the southern hemisphere. They spend most of their time hunting and foraging out at sea and are rarely seen on land. When they do gather to breed, they form large colonies on remote islands. South Georgia, an island in the South Atlantic Ocean around 1,400km east of the Falkland Islands, is one such remote outcrop. The wandering albatross, black-browed albatross, grey-headed albatross and light-mantled sooty albatross all return to breed here.

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: He who gives his daughter in marriage to an ungodly man has indeed broken off her connection with her kindred.

the Amsterdam albatross (D. amsterdamensis), which has a wingspread of 280–340cm (9–11ft). The black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris), meanwhile, has a wingspread of about 230cm (7.5ft), while both the black-footed albatross (Diomedea nigripes) and Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) have a wingspan of around 200cm (6.5ft).

Once a man told Imam Husayn (PBUH) that he had a daughter and asked whom he (PBUH) would advise him to give her to in marriage, and he said: Give her in marriage to someone who (has Faith and) fears Allah, Almighty and Glorious, because he will love and respect her, and if he becomes angry with her, he will not hurt her.

The wandering albatross holds the record for the largest seabird, with a wingspan reaching 3.5m and a body mass of 8–12kg.

To put that in perspective, an adult hippo has a body length of around 3.5m. Other species of albatross are somewhat smaller, although no less majestic. These larger species of albatross include the royal albatross (D. epomophora), with a wingspread of around 315cm – about the same length as a tiger.

Imam al-Jawad (PBUH) wrote in a letter: Whoever solicits you in marriage and you are convinced of his religion and his honesty, then do unite with him in wedlock.

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) with no regard to the class of the ones generation, emphasized and said: When someone refers to you for marriage and you approve contently, his manner and his religion, then unite with him in wedlock. If you do not do that, you have caused a grand pest and decadence on the earth.