Gigantic penguins lived in prehistoric Antarctica

Gigantic penguins lived in prehistoric Antarctica
Nov 26, 2012 | Phenomenica

Prehistoric penguins, standing two metres or six and a half feet tall, would dwarf most men today — almost twice as tall as their modern counterparts at 3ft 11 inches.

Such a gigantic penguin waddled across the southern hemisphere millions of years ago, say Argentine experts, who discovered the fossils of a two metre tall penguin that lived in prehistoric Antarctica 34 million years ago.

 Paleontologists with the Natural Sciences Museum of La Plata province, near the capital Buenos Aires, Argentina, said the remains were found on the icy southern continent.

Ad

“This is the largest penguin known to date in terms of height and body mass,” said researcher Carolina Acosta, the Daily Mail reports.

Marcelo Reguero who led the study added that the find will “allow for a more intensive and complex study of the ancestors of modern penguins”.

The previous record for the tallest prehistoric penguins had been held by a five foot tall bird discovered in Peru two years ago and nicknamed the Water King.

The Water King, which lived more than 36 million years ago, was found by a Peruvian student in the Paracas Reserve on Peru’s eastern coastline.

IANS