New penguin species have been identified in New Zealand

A new study published in Journal of Spinal Archeology Scientists at the University of Massey have identified a new species of prehistoric penguin. It is a penguin similar to the giant iguana penguins first described, but this model has very long legs. (Read: They discovered the fossil of a new species of four-legged whale)

The fossil was discovered in January 2006 while a group of children were at a summer camp in New Zealand with an archaeologist. During the voyage, they made several kayak trips to the upper harbor of Kawahia, where various fossils, such as shellfish, were found.

On one trip, they noticed a trail of fossils that the Cetaceans did not have. Also, a month later, they returned to the site to collect the remains donated to the Waikato Museum. Since then, researchers at the University of Massey and the Bruce Museum have begun exploring the fossil record. (You can read: Scientists discover a new species of ancestral reptile in South America)

According to the data collected, the penguin is 27.3 to 34.6 million years old and most of Waikato is underwater. Daniel Thomas, professor of zoology at Messi’s College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, told The Guardian: “With this discovery, scientists are helping to fill in some gaps in natural history.

Mike Safe, president of the Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club, oversaw all the work of the fossil penguin, saying, “Because of its long legs, this species would have been taller than other ancient giant penguins, estimated to be about 1, 6 meters long and standing 1.4 meters at the top of the peak.” This will affect how fast you can swim and how deep you can dive. “(This may be of interest to you: They discovered the DNA of a woman who lived in Indonesia 7,200 years ago)

Little is known about the existence of giant penguins in New Zealand, mainly only a few fragmented specimens from the North Island records for a long time. Therefore, with this new data collected, more fossil records can be obtained to understand how penguins adapted and how they evolved.