Fossil hunters chanced upon the prehistoric bones in sedimentary rock that formed 55m to 60m years ago on what is now Hampden beach in Otago in the country’s South Island. Emperor penguins, the tallest penguin species alive today, reach only 1.2 metres when fully grown. Once grounded, some penguin species became much larger, growing from about 80cm tall to twice the size. Facebook Twitter Pinterest The partly prepared skeleton of the Paleocene giant penguin Kumimanu biceae. Another species of giant penguin, discovered in Antarctica in 2014, may have been even taller than Kumimanu biceae.

Source: The Guardian December 12, 2017 16:49 UTC