Friday, June 29th, 2007

Giant Penguin Fossils Found In Peru

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Skull of the giant ancient penguin species Icadyptes salasi. A skull from a present-day Peruvian penguin, Spheniscus humbolti, is shown for scale. Photo courtesy Daniel Ksepka.

Researchers have found fossils of two species of penguins that once inhabited the area around Peru during the middle and late Eocene period. One, Perudyptes devriesi, would rank with the present-day king penguin in terms of size. The other ancient penguin, however, named Icadyptes salasi, stood over five feet tall and wielded a seven-inch beak. We'll talk with one of the researchers about the two species, reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Guests

Julia Clarke
Assistant Professor, Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
North Carolina State University
Research Curator of Paleontology
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Research Associate, American Museum of Natural History (New York)
Raleigh, North Carolina

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Segment produced by:Annette Heist

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Image: Artist rendering of two species of penguins that used to inhabit what is now Peru. In the front center of the image, a present-day Peruvian penguin, Spheniscus humbolti, is shown for scale.
Art by Kristin Lamm.

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