Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans)

Also known as goonies, wandering albatrosses take the trophy for having the largest wingspans of all animals alive today - measuring up to 3.5 m. They use such large wings to allow them to soar about the open ocean for extensive amounts of time. Their massive wings can catch prevailing winds out at sea to give themselves lift, and once they reach a peak, they turn with the wind to dive down and build speed. Repeating this motion allows them to cover great distances at sea without flapping or using a lot of energy. In only 12 days, a wandering albatross can travel 6000 km. Atop their bills they possess tubelike nostrils that are used to secrete extra salt out of their system; this is helpful because of the large amounts of seawater they take in while feeding.