Colossus penguin was taller than MAN
comments
Bones belonging to a giant penguin that existed 37 to 40 million years ago have been unearthed by palaeontologists.
The latest findings have enabled researchers to conclude that the so-called 'colossus penguin' was bigger than any penguin that came before or after it.
The species known as Palaeeudyptes klekowskii measured a staggering 6.63 feet (2.02 metres) from the tip of its beak to its toes, making it bigger even than the modern emperor penguin.
Bones belonging to an extinct giant penguin have been found in Antarctica. They suggest a species existed that was once up to 6.63ft (2.02m) in length. Pictured are various views of the humerus (A to E) and tarsometatarsus (F-K) that were found, the latter of which was used to measure its size
The find was made at Seymour Island, part of a chain of islands off the Antarctic peninsula.
THE LANGUAGE OF PENGUINS
Researchers, led by Dr Livio Favaro from the University of Turin, collected, categorised, and acoustically analysed hundreds of audio and video vocal recordings from penguins.
All were taken from a captive colony of 48 African penguins at the Zoom zoo in Torino, Italy.
This group was made up of 15 males, 17 females, eight juveniles aged between three and 12 months, and eight nesting chicks.
The results revealed that all the penguins have four essential vocalisations: a contact call emitted by isolated birds, an agonistic call used to signal aggression, an ecstatic display song uttered by single birds during the breeding season, and a mutual display song made by pairs at their nests.
The authors also identified two distinct vocalisations interpreted as begging calls by chicks, in the form of a begging 'peep', and a begging moan.
According to Dr Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche of the La Plata Museum in Argentina this region was much warmer 37 to 40 million years ago.
It was 'a wonderful time for penguins, when 10 to 14 species lived together along the Antarctic coast,' she told New Scientist.
Dr Hospitaleche found the most complete skeleton of the colossus penguin earlier this year, but these latest finds include part of a wing, the humerus, and the joint between the ankle and foot bone, known as the tarsometatarsus.
Although the humerus cannot be used to make estimates of a penguin's size and mass, the tarsometatarsus is usable in this regard.
At 3.6 inches (9.1 centimerres) in length, this tarsometatarsus set a record for penguins and led Dr Hospitaleche to conclude that the penguin stood 5.25 feet (1.6 metres) tall from head to toe - and 6.63 feet (2.02 metres) tall if its beak was extended upwards.
This makes it larger than any penguin known to exist, even the emperor penguin that exists today.
The find was made on a chain of islands off the tip of the Antarctic peninsula known as Seymour Island
The species is known as Palaeeudyptes klekowskii, dubbed the 'colossus penguin' is the largest penguin, living or dead, to have ever been found, bigger even than the emperor penguin (left). On the right, this pigeon skeleton illustration shows at number 8 where the left and right tarsometatarsus are found on birds
The skeletal data also indicates the colossus penguin would have weighed more than 115 kilograms (250 pounds) - more than twice the weight of an average emperor penguin.
Its huge size also meant it was probably able to stay underwater for at least 40 minutes.
'According to estimates, the tarsometatarsus would belong to the largest and most massive penguin described so far,' the researchers write in their paper.
'This bird was probably a piscivorous [fish-eating] penguin, with high diving ability for catching prey.'
Put the internet to work for you.
0 comments:
Post a Comment