Giant Penguin? Fossils Show They Were as Tall as Humans

Fossil hunters find bones of human-sized penguin on New Zealand beach

Rita Gibson
|
13 December, 2017, 12:04

Mayr and his team discovered the fossil in the Otago region on New Zealand's South Island, which was once a mecca for giant birds. Though other giant ancient penguins have been discovered before, this is one of the oldest.

An ancient penguin which lived 60 million years ago was far more intimidating than today's charismatic tuxedoed birds. What spelled the end is unclear, but the big birds may have struggled to compete with marine mammals for food, or may have become the meal of choice for the new predators. The bird's arrival, the second ever recorded according to New Zealand's Department of Conservation, has caught the public's attention as Emperor Penguins usually live in Antarctica, more than 3,000 Km (1,864 miles) away. It has been reliably estimated to stand 1.4 metres tall, but Mayr and colleagues note that recently described bone fragments may indicate an individual two metres tall - raising the possibility that there once existed a penguin as tall as Stephen Fry.

Giant penguins aren't exactly new to science. That's still quite a big penguin.

Extraction on the boulder didn't start until 2015 - but once work began, the researchers realised they had found the bones of a bird.

The partly prepared skeleton of the Paleocene giant penguin Kumimanu biceae. The massive penguin would have stood at around 5 feet, 8 inches tall, toppling today's largest penguin, the emperor penguin, which is around 1.5 feet shorter.

Penguins evolved from flying birds tens of millions of years ago, but lost the ability to get airborne and became accomplished swimmers instead. According to the study, the penguins could have been filling "ecological niches left vacant after the extinction of large predatory marine reptiles".

"In penguins, a size increase may have also constituted a selective advantage in competition for suitable breeding grounds", the authors, led by Gerald Mayr, curator and paleontologist of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, Germany, wrote. Whether Kumimanu biceae is the tallest penguin ever is up for debate, but there's no doubt that it was a seriously imposing beast.

Rather than the usual black-and-white colouring, the ancient penguin was probably brownish and had a longer beak than its modern-day cousins. Credit: G. Mayr/Senckenberg Research Institute.

'Kumimanu biceae is larger than all other fossil penguins that have substantial skeletal portions preserved'.

Scientific reference:Gerald Mayr et al.

Although widely distributed and falling into different genera, all the giant penguins are members of the same group, or clade, leading some in the field to suggest that huge size was a trait that evolved just once.

Recommended

Or use an arrow to point to an exact object or location in a panorama so your friend knows what you're referring to. Facebook just one-upped Snapchat by introducing World Effects - augmented reality 3D world objects on its own.

Suranga Lakmal and the rest of the Sri Lankan pacers, who had blown away Indian batsmen, will once again look to do the same. In that case, it will be another test for the Indian batsmen if the home team happens to bat first in a must-win contest.

The 53-year-old Avondale Heights man was arrested by detectives from the Missing Persons Squad just after 7.15am this morning. Police have never released the cause of death. "I have every confidence we will solve this case", he said.

The referee ultimately booked Herrera for diving and thus Manchester Utd did not receive a penalty and ended the game 1-2 down. Pep Guardiola believes he may have to sign a defender in the January transfer window or Manchester City could be "in trouble".

On Monday, scientists said that Juno had discovered a new area of radiation just above the planet's atmosphere at the equator. Images of Jupiter's Great Red Spot unveil a knot of dark, veinous clouds weaving their way through huge crimson oval.

This is especially true in comparison to other offerings from Samsung , Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi, which also made the list. In the first half of next year, we can expect several smartphones with Synaptics Clear ID shipping worldwide.

Saturday in the annual Christmas tribute to veterans begun by ME wreath maker Morrill Worcester of Columbia Falls. Once they are completed they are given a bow and shipped off to the trucks for Arlington National Cemetery.

The ratio also provides a clue to how much investors are paying for what would be left if the company went bankrupt immediately. The firm has "Neutral" rating given on Thursday, July 28 by M Partners. ( NASDAQ:JACK ), 10 have Buy rating, 1 Sell and 8 Hold.

The permit was for "a rally against civil rights abuse and failure to follow security plans for political dissidents". In his permit application, Kessler said the police had only to keep the two sides separate to prevent bloodshed.

Sanjay and Ajay Chandra, part of the firm's promoter family, are named in a case of forgery lodged by buyers of Unitech's Gurugram project.

MI police open investigation after child detained
Before reporters Tuesday afternoon, Rahinsky said the video of the incident made him "physically nauseous". The officer is then seen handcuffing the child, who begins screaming "No!" and wailing.

4 rotation players who should start vs West Ham
Cheikhou Kouyate could be set to return following his hamstring injury but Edimilson Fernandes is doubtful with an ankle injury. Alexis Sanchez was involved in four of Arsenal's goals in their 5-1 win in this fixture last season (three goals, one assist).

12 special courts for criminal trial of lawmakers soon
The Centre told the SC that it will start with 12 such special courts, and added that it has allotted Rs 7.80 crore for the goal . The law ministry also told the court that the Finance Ministry has given the approval of Rs 7.8 cr to start the courts.

Week Left in Salvation Army Toy & Food Drive
Drop off items at American Legion Post 13 (located beside the fairgrounds) at 2035 USA 301 S. between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. On Friday, families will be able to come by and pick up the presents along with a food basket on Distribution Day.

Most Recent Analysts Ratings AK Steel Holding Corporation (AKS)
COPYRIGHT VIOLATION WARNING: This article was originally reported by StockNewsTimes and is the sole property of of StockNewsTimes. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 62,899 shares in the company, valued at $2,012,768.

US's Jerusalem decision 'null and void', says Erdogan
Arab Israelis are descendants of Palestinians who remained on their land following the creation of Israel in 1948. A security guard was stabbed in central Jerusalem on Sunday in what police described as a terror attack.

Gambling Commission Report Finds Gambling In 11-Year-Olds
There are also third party websites that allow players to gamble their acquired "skins" on casino or slot machine-based games. What is skin betting? A number of websites let players gamble with their skins for the chance to win more valuable ones.

Will make season debut Tuesday
Original Story: The Spurs have listed Kawhi Leonard as "probable" for Tuesday night's road game against the Dallas Mavericks . Despite his absence, the Spurs won the said match, 104-101, their fourth game in a winning streak.