An extinct penguin that lived in New Zealand 27 million years ago may have been the tallest ever.
At 1.3 metres in height, Kairuku grebneffi would have looked down on today鈥檚 1-metre-tall emperor penguin. It has a rival for the tallest penguin crown, though, as a few fossil bones of a penguin that may have been slightly taller were found in Peru in 2007.
The new find is so complete that 鈥渨e could put the whole animal back together鈥�, says of North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Consequently its height is known more accurately than the ancient Peruvian penguin.
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The reconstruction shows that K. grebneffi had a surprisingly slender body with a spear-like beak and long, graceful flippers, Ksepka says. 鈥淢odern penguins are chubby little dudes.鈥�
of the University of Texas at Austin, a member of the team that described the Peruvian fossil penguin, says the new find is an important one.
Journal reference: , in press
