(Title refers to an phrase used in commercials for a chocolate bar that I remember from many years ago: “P-p-pick up a penguin”.)
Anyway: It’s Big. Really big. A recent archeological find of a giant ancestor penguin (Icadyptes salasi) in Peru:
(Comparative graphic from article listed below.)
More here, in an article in the Guardian by James Randerson*. Quoting:
The fossils, which were found in Peru and are described in detail today 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 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 during a period when the Earth was experiencing a “greenhouse” climate the pair of species are challenging what researchers thought they knew about how species adapt to hotter temperatures.
The scientific implications of this find are apparently quite striking, especially in view of current discussion of climate change effects on penguin species (fueled by the annoying rise of all these penguin movies…..)
And lastly:
The Icadyptes fossil is the most complete of any giant penguin yet discovered. But it may be smaller than the largest giant known. Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi, Nordenskjoeld’s giant penguin, which is thought to have lived up to six million years ago and whose fossils were found in New Zealand, could have been up to 2 metres high and weighed 100kg.
Scary.
-cvj
(*Thanks Samantha!)
Yes, thanks evankeane.. and thanks so much for the trip down memory lane by supplying the clip!
-cvj
Haha, evankeane, nice one! 😀
Nice and interesting text!
hmmm, maybe the penguin fossils were put there by god to test our faith …
he always doing that the little rascal!
also, i recall that add for penguin bars and for anybody interested here it is on youtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI0Fa66h6Qo
🙂
Evan Keane
180cm is not a lot for an adult male human penguin. Perhaps it’s the North American human penguin they used for the illustration?
Fabulous!
The best part about science is never knowing what you’re going find…
Yes!
Of course, when the objectors raise any issues of credibility of evidence for those late stages, we play our trump card. Behold:
The people of Gotham are in no doubt…
-cvj
The evolutionary connection would have been clearer had the guy been wearing a tux.
Yes…. wait until the Creationists get a hold of this…
-cvj
I love that observation! Thanks Pyracantha!
Your illustration suggests the revolutionary idea that human beings evolved from penguins.