Giant Penguin

2007/09/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Zoologia
• Paleontologia
• Arkeologia

Fossils of two species of missing penguins have been found in Peru. One, Perudyptes devriesi, is the size of today's largest penguins, and the other, Icadyptes salasi, much larger. The image shows the skull of the latter next to a skull of the only species of penguin that currently lives in Peru. The peak of the penguin Icadyptes salasi has a length of 18 centimeters and, according to paleontologists, the animal was about a meter and a half.

The large sizes have been surprised by the paleontologist, who is from the Eocene period, a period of temperate climate. It is believed that temperate animals are not usually very large, as they should not store heat. However, the fossilized giant penguin goes against this hypothesis.