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Giant Penguins Once Roamed Peru

Posted by kdawson on from the not-cute-like-tux dept.

Douglas Roberts points out as "obvious Linux fodder" the coverage of a study just published in PNAS claiming that, on fossil evidence, giant penguins once stalked the plains of Peru. One species goes back over 40 million years and its members were as large as modern king penguins. They were warm adapted. Members of another species, 30 million years ago, stood 5 feet high and made their living spearfishing with their 1-foot beaks. Here's an artist's impression.

3 of 222 comments (clear)

  1. about Penguins by buitre · · Score: 3, Informative

    for those who want to learn more about penguins check out this new book. http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780060891268/S mithsonian_Q__A_Penguins/index.aspx the author is one of the leading experts on penguins. Claus

  2. Re:Cormorant? by KokorHekkus · · Score: 2, Informative

    You mean bones like the skull show in the very same photogallery as the artist's rendering? http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/06/ph otogalleries/giant-penguins/index.html

  3. Re:Artists impression by Quelain · · Score: 2, Informative

    Black and white is a common colour scheme for all sorts of fishing birds. For example, some cormorants around here are black and white:

    http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/little_pied_ cormorant.htm

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