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Giant penguin fossil found

With their dinner-suit plumage and waddling gait, penguins are among the most unusual and endearing members of the bird kingdom. A new fossil find, however, has revealed that one of their ancestors was a far more fearsome beast. The fossils, which were found in Peru and are described in detail on Tuesday by scientists, reveal a creature that was over 1.5 metres tall and weighed as much as a person. 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 giant species has been named Icadyptes salasi. —

Guardian Newspapers Limited 2007

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