Palaeeudyptes
Encyclopedia
Palaeeudyptes is an extinct genus
of large penguin
s, currently containing four accepted species
. They were probably larger than almost all living penguins, with the smaller species being about the size of an Emperor Penguin
and the largest ones having stood about 1.5 meters tall.
Of the four species, two (P. gunnari and P. klekowskii) are known from numerous remains found in Middle or Late Eocene
strata (34 to 50 MYA) of the La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island
, Antarctica. P. antarcticus, the first fossil
penguin described, is only really known from a single incomplete tarsometatarsus
found in the Late Oligocene
Otekaike Limestone (23 to 28, possibly up to 34 MYA) at Kakanui
, New Zealand
, but numerous other bones have been tentatively assigned to the species. The other described New Zealand species, P. marplesi, is known from parts of a skeleton, mainly leg bones, from the Middle or Late Eocene
Burnside Mudstone (34 to 40 MYA) at Burnside, Dunedin
. To this species also a number of additional remains have been tentatively assigned. The problem with the indeterminate New Zealand specimens is that they at least in part are intermediate in size between the two species (Simpson, 1971). It may be that P. marplesi simply evolved into the smaller P. antarcticus. Bones unassignable to species also were found on Seymour Island, but in these cases they seem to be from juvenile individuals or are simply too damaged to be of diagnostic value (Jadwiszczak, 2006).
In addition, an incomplete right tibiotarsus
(South Australian Museum
P10862) and one left humerus
(South Australian Museum P7158) and assignable to this genus were found in the Late Eocene Blanche Point Marls at Witton Bluff near Adelaide
, Australia
(Simpson, 1946, 1971). Additionally, an incomplete humerus identified as Palaeeudyptes was recovered in southernmost Chile (Sallaberry et al., 2010), from middle to late Eocene beds of the Río Turbio Formation, near Puerto Natales, 200 km south from Torres del Paine National Park.
The supposed genus Wimanornis, based on two Seymour Island humeri, is apparently a synonym of P. gunnari (Jadwiszcak, 2006).
The genus is the namesake for the subfamily of primitive penguins, Palaeeudyptinae. Altogether, their osteological
characteristics seem to have been somewhat less advanced that those of the slightly smaller Archaeospheniscus
and about on par with the gigantic Anthropornis. The exact nature of the relationship of the Palaeeudyptinae to modern penguins is unknown.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of large penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
s, currently containing four accepted species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. They were probably larger than almost all living penguins, with the smaller species being about the size of an Emperor Penguin
Emperor Penguin
The Emperor Penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching in height and weighing anywhere from . The dorsal side and head are black and sharply delineated from the white belly,...
and the largest ones having stood about 1.5 meters tall.
Of the four species, two (P. gunnari and P. klekowskii) are known from numerous remains found in Middle or Late Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
strata (34 to 50 MYA) of the La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island
Seymour Island
Seymour Island is an island in the chain of 16 major islands around the tip of the Graham Land on the Antarctic Peninsula. Graham Land is closer to continental land mass than any other part of that Antarctica. It lies within the section of the island chain that resides off the west side of the...
, Antarctica. P. antarcticus, the first fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
penguin described, is only really known from a single incomplete tarsometatarsus
Tarsometatarsus
The tarsometatarsus is a bone that is found in the lower leg of certain tetrapods, namely birds.It is formed from the fusion of several bones found in other types of animals, and homologous to the mammalian tarsal and metatarsal bones...
found in the Late Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
Otekaike Limestone (23 to 28, possibly up to 34 MYA) at Kakanui
Kakanui
The small town of Kakanui lies on the coast of Otago, in New Zealand, fourteen kilometres to the south of Oamaru. The Kakanui River and its estuary divide the township in two. The part of the settlement south of the river, also known as Kakanui South, formerly "Campbells Bay", was developed as a...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, but numerous other bones have been tentatively assigned to the species. The other described New Zealand species, P. marplesi, is known from parts of a skeleton, mainly leg bones, from the Middle or Late Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
Burnside Mudstone (34 to 40 MYA) at Burnside, Dunedin
Burnside, Otago
Burnside is a mainly industrial suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located at the mouth of a long valley, the Kaikorai Valley, through which flows the Kaikorai Stream. This valley stretches to the northeast for . Burnside is to the southwest of the city centre, close to eastern end...
. To this species also a number of additional remains have been tentatively assigned. The problem with the indeterminate New Zealand specimens is that they at least in part are intermediate in size between the two species (Simpson, 1971). It may be that P. marplesi simply evolved into the smaller P. antarcticus. Bones unassignable to species also were found on Seymour Island, but in these cases they seem to be from juvenile individuals or are simply too damaged to be of diagnostic value (Jadwiszczak, 2006).
In addition, an incomplete right tibiotarsus
Tibiotarsus
The tibiotarsus is the large bone between the femur and the tarsometatarsus in the leg of a bird. It is the fusion of the proximal part of the tarsus with the tibia.A similar structure also occurred in the Mesozoic Heterodontosauridae...
(South Australian Museum
South Australian Museum
The South Australian Museum is a museum in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultural precinct of the Adelaide Parklands.-History:...
P10862) and one left humerus
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
(South Australian Museum P7158) and assignable to this genus were found in the Late Eocene Blanche Point Marls at Witton Bluff near Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(Simpson, 1946, 1971). Additionally, an incomplete humerus identified as Palaeeudyptes was recovered in southernmost Chile (Sallaberry et al., 2010), from middle to late Eocene beds of the Río Turbio Formation, near Puerto Natales, 200 km south from Torres del Paine National Park.
The supposed genus Wimanornis, based on two Seymour Island humeri, is apparently a synonym of P. gunnari (Jadwiszcak, 2006).
The genus is the namesake for the subfamily of primitive penguins, Palaeeudyptinae. Altogether, their osteological
Osteology
Osteology is the scientific study of bones. A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, and archeology, osteology is a detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, morphology, function, disease, pathology, the process of ossification , the resistance and hardness of bones , etc...
characteristics seem to have been somewhat less advanced that those of the slightly smaller Archaeospheniscus
Archaeospheniscus
Archaeospheniscus is an extinct genus of large penguins. It currently contains three species, known from somewhat fragmentary remains. A...
and about on par with the gigantic Anthropornis. The exact nature of the relationship of the Palaeeudyptinae to modern penguins is unknown.