Science

By Joshua Hawkins
Published Feb 9th, 2023 11:15PM EST

?resize=

Image: fieldwork / Adobe

A new study of ancient fossils reveals just how big some penguins used to be. Researchers say they discovered the remains of a giant species of penguin in New Zealand that was more than six feet tall, making the “monster bird” the largest penguin ever to exist, at least that humanity knows of.

Researchers named the species Kumimanu fordycei, and it lived around 55-60 million years ago. Researchers initially estimated the monster bird was 3 .5 feet (1.06 meters) tall. However, a new analysis of the bones revealed that the bird was closer to 6.2 feet tall (1.9 meters) and weighed up to 350 pounds (158 kilograms).

In comparison, the largest living species of penguin, Emperor Penguins, are up to 4.1 feet (1.25 meters) tall and weigh up to 90 pounds (41 kg), making this discovery massive in more ways than one.

Researchers say the fossilized bones of the monster bird were found in two locations on New Zealand’s South Island. It is believed that the bird used these sites to breed since a number of bones belonging to the species were found in one area.

More:
https://bgr.com/science/scientists-unearthed-a-monster-bird-fossil/