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.[1] It reached 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) in height and 90 kg (200 lb) 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 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) tall.

Anthropornis
Temporal range: Eocene–Oligocene
~45–33 Ma
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae
Subfamily: †Palaeeudyptinae
Genus: †Anthropornis
Wiman, 1905
Species
  • A. nordenskjoeldi Wiman, 1905 (type)
  • A. grandis (Wiman, 1905)

The type species, Anthropornis nordenskjoldi, had a bent joint in the wing, probably a carryover from flying ancestors.

An Anthropornis penguin in comparison to the height of an average human male at 1.72 meters (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) tall and an Emperor Penguin at 1.2 meters tall. The Anthropornis is based on Emperor penguin dimensions.

References
  1. Myrcha, A., Jadwiszczak, P., Tambussi, C.P., Noriega, J.I., Gazdzicki, A., Tatur, A., and Valle, R.A. (2002). "Taxonomic Revision of Eocene Antarctic Penguins Based on Tarsometatarsal Morphology". Polish Polar Research, 23(1): 5-46


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