Palaeeudyptes klekowskii
Temporal range: Late Eocene
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Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae
Genus: †Palaeeudyptes
Species:
†P. klekowskii
Binomial name
†Palaeeudyptes klekowskii
Myrcha, Tatur & del Valle, 1990

Palaeeudyptes klekowskii, is an extinct species of the penguin genus Palaeeudyptes. It was until recently thought to have been approximately the size of its congener Palaeeudyptes antarcticus, which would mean it was somewhat larger than the modern emperor penguin, but a new study shows it was in fact almost twice as tall, earning it the nickname “Mega Penguin”.[1][2] Its maximum height is estimated to be up to 2 meters (6.6 ft) and maximum body mass up to 116 kg (256 lb).[3] Knowledge of it comes from an extensive collection of fossil bones from the Late Eocene (34-37 MYA) of the La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island, Antarctica.[4][5] P. klekowskii was at first not recognized as a distinct species, and despite the coexistence of two so closely related species of similar size as Palaeeudyptes gunnari and P. klekowskii seeming somewhat improbable, the amount of fossil material suggests that the two species are indeed diagnosably different.

References

  1. ^ "Trending science: The giant prehistoric penguin". EU CORDIS. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  2. ^ Hospitaleche, Carolina Acosta; Reguero, Marcelo (2014). "Palaeeudyptes klekowskii, the best-preserved penguin skeleton from the Eocene–Oligocene of Antarctica: Taxonomic and evolutionary remarks". Geobios. Elsevier. 47 (3): 77–85. Bibcode:2014Geobi..47...77A. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2014.03.003. hdl:11336/31413. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  3. ^ Hospitaleche, Carolina A. (2014). "New giant penguin bones from Antarctica: Systematic and paleobiological significance". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 13 (7): 555–560. Bibcode:2014CRPal..13..555A. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2014.03.008. hdl:11336/32571.
  4. ^ Hecht, Jeff (1 August 2014). "Extinct mega penguin was tallest and heaviest ever". New Scientist. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  5. ^ Hospitaleche, Carolina Acosta (October 2014). "New giant penguin bones from Antarctica: Systematic and paleobiological significance". Comptes Rendus Palevol. Elsevier. 13 (7): 555–560. Bibcode:2014CRPal..13..555A. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2014.03.008. hdl:11336/32571.
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