Tuesday, March 11, 2008

New Species!


Okay everyone, so I found some really interesting research on recently discovered penguin species that lived 30-40 million years ago.
According to Science Teacher, "A Researcher from North Carolina, in collaboration with U.S., Peruvian and Argentine, has shown that two previously undiscovered penguin species reached equatorial regions tens of millions of
years earlier than expected..."

Icadyptes salasi, pictured on the right, was 1.5 meters tall. The other species pictured on the left, Perudyptes devriesi, was about the size of the King Penguin, which is approximately 0.7-0.9 meters tall. Researchers believe that they represent a large part of penguin evolution never discovered before. It is interesting to note that these penguins lived in extremely warm climates during the Paleocene and Eocene Epochs. Evidence shows that these species are the only penguins to have lived in equatorial climates; they thrived.

Researchers are hypothesizing that each of the two new species developed in different areas. They believe that the Icadyptes salasi originated near New Zealand, while the Perudyptes devriesi was closer to Antarctica. These new fossil findings are helping anthropologists see what early penguins looked like by comparing their beaks and necks. However shocking this discovery, Science Teacher says, "Paleontologist Julia Clarke cautions against assuming that just because prehistoric penguins may not have been cold-adapted it does not mean living penguins will not be negatively affected by climate change."

*Science Teacher provided a picture of these new species as shown above.

(2007). New Extinct Penguin Species.
Science Teacher, 74 (6). Retrieved on March 11, 2008 from Academic Search Premier.

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