Ecology
A penguin, who was taller than any average person, walked through the lands of the southern hemisphere many millions of years ago, scientists have found. Argentine experts have discovered the fossilized remains of a 2-meter bird that has lived in Antarctica for about 34 million years. Earlier this year, another discovery was reported: a 1.5-meter penguin that lived here for 27 million years, but it seems that its ancestors were much larger.
Paleontologists from the Natural Sciences Museum of La Plata Province, near the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, reported that the giant's remains were discovered on the icy southern continent and due to the eternal cold are perfectly preserved. “This is the largest penguin known today in terms of height and weight,” said researcher Caroline Acosta.
Today, the emperor penguin is considered to be the largest penguin, whose height reaches 1 meter. The authors of the new studies said that this finding will allow a more detailed study of the ancestors of modern penguins.
Giant birds of tropical latitudes
Giant penguins appeared on our planet more than 30 million years after dinosaurs went extinct, and these southern hemisphere birds are still alive today. At that time, the planet's climate was much warmer than it is today, so many prehistoric birds and mammals reached impressive sizes.
Unlike Arctic birds and their modern descendants, flightless giant penguins lived in the tropics, where they dived into warm seas and hunted fish with their giant 18cm beaks.
A group of Argentinean researchers intends to go on an expedition again when summer comes to the region to find more examples of prehistoric birds. Scientists want to collect more information about the anatomy of these living creatures and learn how giant birds managed to move.
All giant penguins that once roamed prehistoric lands became extinct, leaving behind smaller species that live in Antarctica today. Previous studies have shown that prehistoric penguins did not have the signature black and white feather color that modern penguins have; they had reddish-brown plumage.