New Zealand: School kids discover giant Penguin fossil that lived around 30 million years ago and stood 4.5 feet tall

A long-extinct giant Penguin, that lived between 27 million and 30 million years ago was discovered in New Zealand. The giant Penguin’s fossil was accidentally discovered by some school kids in 2006. A field trip to Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club led to the discovery of the remains of the arms, legs, and torso of the Penguin. The bird stood 4.5 ft tall with an unusual long beak. 

During a field trip, a group of club members led by JUNATS fossil specialist Chris Templer, discovered the bones of an extinct giant penguin. They found it on a small peninsula near Kawhia Harbor. The long hind legs of the bird inspired the scientists to name it “Kairuku waewaeroa”. In the Māori language, “waewae” means “legs” and “roa” means “long”.

Aptenodytes forsteri aka emperor penguin is the largest living species

Currently, Aptenodytes forsteri aka emperor penguin is the largest living species. They are up to 4 ft tall. In comparison to today, the giant penguins were pretty common .The researchers have discovered that the extinct giant penguins were thinner than the modern-day emperor penguins millions of years ago.

“It’s sort of surreal to know that a discovery we made as kids so many years ago is contributing to academia today,” says Steffan Safey, who was 13 at the time he and his friends found the fossil, in a statement.

“It was a rare privilege for the kids in our club to having the opportunity to discover and rescue this enormous fossil penguin,” says Mike Safey, president of the Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club.

Many of the oldest fossil specimens are from New Zealand. Penguin fossils date back to the dinosaur eras. The skeleton of this massive penguin is one of the most complete ones. On September 16, the findings were published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.