Scientists have found the remains of a giant ancient penguin

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Ученые нашли останки гигантского древнейшего пингвинаFound the penguins is much larger than the size of the Imperial

A group of scientists from Canterbury Museum in Christchurch (New Zealand) and the Senckenberg natural history Museum in Frankfurt (Germany), discovered the fossilized remains of a penguin on the growth of 30 cm superior to the largest of living of his relatives. Age ancient animal is estimated at 61 million years.

Penguin, discovered on the Bank of the river Waipara in new Zealand’s Canterbury region, refers to the previously unknown to science species and is the oldest representative of its family found to date. In the second place, he slipped penguin species Crossvallia unienwillia, lived on Earth 56-59 million years ago. New data suggest that pinguinului could appear early enough to “catch” the planet of dinosaurs.

The new species was not only the oldest but also one of the largest among known — it had grown to a height of 150 centimeters. Of all known penguins was surpassed only Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi, the growth of which would be 165 centimetres. The highest of the existing penguins — Imperial — only reach 120 centimeters in height, and the other representatives of this family are still far below.

In General, ancient animal in many respects resembled modern penguins — it is, in all probability, walked on its hind legs and did it in quite the same awkward manner that modern pinguinului. Among the features of the ancient form can be called a weight exceeding 100 kilograms and an unusually long beak. The discovery, according to scientists, suggests that in ancient times the species diversity of the penguin was much larger than assumed to date. Also specialists tend to assume that the maximum height reached pinguinului “at the dawn” of the existence of this family.

Ученые нашли останки гигантского древнейшего пингвина

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