Extinct giant penguin-like birds existed around 30 million years ago

9 Jul 2020

Extinct giant penguin-like birds existed around 30 million years ago

Extinct giant penguin-like birds existed around 30 million years agoA while ago, we read that, huge penguins lived in New Zealand (Southern Hemisphere) around 60 million years ago. This giant penguin stood around 1.6 metres tall (as tall as a human) and weighed around 70-80 kgs.

A recent study has found these 'monster' penguins were not the only huge birds to exist. Similar-sized birds existed in Japan, the US and Canada too (Nothern Hemisphere).

These newly-discovered giant birds were, however, not related to penguins at all. They belonged to a now-extinct group of birds, known as plotopterids. But they did look very similar to penguins.

The plotopterids also came much later after the giant penguins. They appeared between 37 and 34 million years ago and disappeared 10 million years after that.

Scientists find it amazing that even though they were not related at all, the birds seem remarkably alike. They even lived in different hemispheres and existed millions of years apart.

This kind of natural occurrence is called  'convergent evolution'.  In this, different species who live in similar environmental conditions develop similar traits.

How were the two types of birds similar?

They both had long beaks, similar chest and shoulder bones and wings. They also both had large webbed feet. They both developed these features to be able to hunt and swim better.

They were also both huge in size. The largest known plotopterids were over two metres long.

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A while ago, we read that, huge penguins lived in New Zealand (Southern Hemisphere) around 60 million years ago. This giant penguin stood around 1.6 […]

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