The fossilized remains of the earliest known extinct little penguin have been discovered by a group of paleontologists, one from Massey University, two from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the fourth from the Bruce Museum. In their paper distributed in the Diary of Fossil Science, the gathering portrays where and how the fossils were found and the way that the little birds fit in with present-day little penguins.
The team discovered the two fossilized skulls in the Tangahoe Formation in the southern Taranaki region of New Zealand’s North Island. Both were the first of their kind to be discovered and belonged to the same ancient species, testing revealed. The group named them Eudyptula wilsonae, which means Wilson’s little penguin. One of the skulls was from a grownup, while the other was from an adolescent. Both were in sufficient condition to consider a correlation with present-day little penguins (koror), the littlest surviving types of penguin.
The exploration group concedes that they couldn’t say without a doubt how enormous the old species could have been, yet by contrasting with their cutting-edge progenitors, they surmise they were possibly roughly 35 centimeters tall and logically weighed simply under a kilogram.
In present-day times, various types of little penguins live in Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. However, little work has been done to identify their ancestry. Therefore, it is unclear whether the newly discovered species is a direct descendant. Because of their similarities, the exploration group suspects they probably are.
They also suggest that it is evidence of the remarkable adaptability of the birds to a changing world without having to change much themselves—the team notes that their surroundings have changed significantly over time. Additionally, present-day little penguins currently possess the broadest domain of any penguin.
They note that the newly discovered species existed approximately 3 million years ago and spread throughout the Pleistocene; the find also confirms that the little penguins existed during the Neogene. The examination group recommends that their find likewise shows a Zealandian beginning for little penguins overall.
More information: Daniel B. Thomas et al, Pliocene fossils support a New Zealand origin for the smallest extant penguins, Journal of Paleontology (2023). DOI: 10.1017/jpa.2023.30
