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Now that's one giant penguin: Fossilized bones of 340-pound 'monster bird' discovered in New Zealand

Paleontologists have discovered gigantic fossilized penguin bones on the coast of New Zealand, according to a study published in the Journal of Paleontology. Only a few bones were found, but it was enough for scientists to determine their size.

The penguin species, named Kumimanu fordycei, was found in the Otago Region in New Zealand's South Island.

"Fossils give us evidence of the history of life, and sometimes that evidence is absolutely startling," co-author Daniel Field, of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge, said in a statement. On the shores of New Zealand 57 million years ago, Kumimanu fordycei would have been an incredible sight.

Where was the monster bird's fossils unearthed?

Kumimanu fordycei, known as the largest penguin species that ever lived.

How big was the monster penguin?

Researchers created digital models of the penguins' bones and compared them to other known fossil species, including modern species such as the emperor penguin. They determined that these penguins were enormous birds.

“Many early fossil penguins attained enormous sizes, easily dwarfing the largest penguins alive today. Our new species, Kumimanu fordycei, is the largest fossil penguin ever discovered – at approximately 350 pounds, it would have weighed more than Shaquille O’Neal at the peak of his dominance!” said study co-author Daniel Field, an expert in earth sciences at the University of Cambridge.

What fossil bones were found on the monster penguin?

The illustration below shows how Kumimanu fordycei's bone structure compares with that of the today's emperor penguin. Although only a small number of bones was found – the ones highlighted in the Kumimanu fordycei diagram – they were enough to allow scientists to determine the penguin's size.

The reason these penguins evolved to such enormous sizes, scientists say, was because they would be more effective in the water.

“Size conveys many advantages," said study lead author Daniel Ksepka, an ornithology curator at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut. "A bigger penguin could capture larger prey, and more importantly it would have been better at conserving body temperature in cold waters. It is possible breaking the 100-pound size barrier allowed the earliest penguins to spread from New Zealand to other parts of the world.”

According to the study, the Kumimanu fordycei fossils are by far the largest of nine new Paleocene penguin specimens uncovered.

SOURCE Journal of Paleontology; Dr Simone Giovanardi; University of Cambridge, Phys.org;  USA TODAY research

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