| Brush-tailed penguins | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pygoscelis antarctica | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Sphenisciformes |
| Family: | Spheniscidae |
| Genus: | Pygoscelis Wagler, 1832 |
| Species | |
|
Pygoscelis adeliae | |
The genus Pygoscelis ("rump-legged") contains three living species of penguins collectively known as "The Brush-Tailed Penguins".[citation needed] Their appearance - black above, white below - is the stereotypical image of penguins, and so what most people think of when they think of penguins.
Taxonomy[]
Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA evidence suggests the genus split from other penguins around 38 million years ago, about 2 million years after the ancestors of the genus Aptenodytes. In turn, the Adelie Penguins split off from the other members of the genus around 19 million years ago.[1]
The three extant species are:
- Adélie Penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae
- Chinstrap Penguin, Pygoscelis antarctica
- Gentoo Penguin, Pygoscelis papua
Extinct species:
- Pygoscelis grandis (Bahía Inglesa Formation, Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Bahía Inglesa, Chile)
- Pygoscelis calderensis (Bahía Inglesa Formation, Late Miocene of Bahía Inglesa, Chile)
- Pygoscelis tyreei (Pliocene of New Zealand)
The latter two are tentatively assigned to this genus.
Species photographs[]
Photographs of adult penguins of the extant (living) species:
Pygoscelis antarctica
Pygoscelis papua
Pygoscelis adeliae
References[]
- ^ Baker AJ, Pereira SL, Haddrath OP, Edge KA (2006). "Multiple gene evidence for expansion of extant penguins out of Antarctica due to global cooling". Proc Biol Sci. 273 (1582): 11–17. PMC 1560011Freely accessible. PMID 16519228. doi:10.1098/rspb.2005.3260.
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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. |
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