| Anthropornis Temporal range: Eocene–Oligocene, 37–45 Ma | |
|---|---|
| File:Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi.jpg | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Sphenisciformes |
| Family: | Spheniscidae |
| Genus: | Anthropornis Wiman, 1905 |
| Species | |
| |
Anthropornis is a genus of giant penguin that lived 37-45 million years ago, during the Late Eocene and the earliest part of the Oligocene.[1] It reached 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) in height and 90 kg (200 lb) in weight. Fossils of it have been found 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.
The type species, Anthropornis nordenskjoldi, had a bent joint in the wing, probably a carryover from flying ancestors.In literature
The enormous six-foot and blind albino penguins in H. P. Lovecraft's 1931 novel At the Mountains of Madness were fictional cave-dwelling descendants of this bird. They used their large beaks to prey on small dinosaurs.[2]
References
| 40px | This prehistoric bird article is a stub. You can help All Birds by expanding it. |
| This article is part of Project Bird Genera, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each genus, including made-up genera. |
| This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors). Please help by writing it in the style of All Birds Wiki! |
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA
unless otherwise noted.
