Anthropornis


Anthropornis is a genus of giant penguin that lived 45-33 million years ago, during the Late Eocene and the earliest part of the Oligocene.

Description

Anthropornis reached in length from the tip of the beak to the tip of the tail, and in weight, making it the largest penguin of the Eocene epoch. There is also an estimate that one specimen of Anthropornis could have reached a body length of and in weight. Fossils of it have been found in the La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island off the coast of Antarctica and in New Zealand. By comparison, the largest modern penguin species, the emperor penguin, is just long.
The type species, Anthropornis nordenskjoldi, had a bent joint in the wing, probably a vestigial trait from its flying ancestors.