Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]

Kia Ora
You are currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and that there are some features you can't use or read.

We are an active community of worldwide senior members participating in chat, politics, travel, health, blogging, graphics, computer issues & help, book club, literature & poetry, finance discussions, recipe exchange and much more. Also, as a member you will be able to access member only sections, many features, send personal messages, make new friends, etc.

Registration is simple, fast and completely free. Why not register today and become a part of the group. Registration button at the very top left of the page.

Thank you for stopping by.

Join our community!

In case of difficulty, email worldwideseniors.org@gmail.com.
If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Discovery Of Giant Penguins Shakes Theories On Mar
Topic Started: Jun 28 2007, 12:21 AM (19 Views)
Kahu
Member Avatar

NZ evidence of gigantic penguins has also been unearthed.

Discovery of giant penguins shakes theories on march of evolution
London
June 27, 2007


WITH their dinner-suit plumage and waddling gait, penguins are among the most endearing members of the bird kingdom. A new fossil find, however, has revealed that one of their ancestors was a more fearsome beast.

The fossils, found in Peru, reveal a creature that was more than 1.5 metres tall and weighed as much as a human. The 36 million-year-old tropical bird's intimidating appearance was topped off with powerful arms, a chunky neck and a potentially vicious 18-centimetre beak.

The discovery of the giant bird has shaken scientists' understanding of penguin evolution. The find indicates that penguins made the journey to equatorial regions much earlier in their evolutionary history than researchers had realised.

And because the penguins lived when the Earth was experiencing a "greenhouse" climate, the discovery of the species challenges what researchers know about how species adapt to hotter temperatures.

"It's a monster," said Julia Clarke, of North Carolina State University, who described the fossils with her team in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The two main finds are remarkably complete and well preserved. "The bone preservation is extremely good," she said. The detail is so good that the researchers were able to see fine patterning on the beak of the giant penguin left by a sheet of keratin — the material that makes up feathers.

The giant species has been named Icadyptes salasi. The scientists are keen to point out that although these species were adapted to the tropics, it does not mean that current penguin species will be able to adapt quickly to climate change.

GUARDIAN

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Pets & Wildlife · Next Topic »
Add Reply