Washington: The fossil of a giant penguin that has been unearthed by paleontologists brings into the limelight startling revelations about the kind of features that the animal displayed from ancient ages. The remains of an almost five-foot tall penguin that survived around 36 million years ago was found by scientists at the Reserva Nacional de Paracas in Peru. The findings of the study was published on Thursday in the online version of the journal Science.While divulging intrinsic details of the study, paleontologist Julia Clarke who is the lead author of the study and is associated with the University of Texas told the media that before this fossil was discovered, there was no evidence which could shed any light into the feathers, colors as well as the shapes of the flippers of the ancient penguins.
The paleontologist further went on to say that there had been immense inquisitiveness about the features of the ancient penguins and this is the first instance when the questions would get some kind of answers. The fossil that has been discovered provides evidence about some of the biggest penguins to have ever existed on Earth and it is supposedly weighed about twice the weight of the modern day Emperor penguins.
The scientists have pointed out that the findings of the study along with some other research highlight the rich diversity of the species of giant penguins in regions of Peru in the late Eocene period. Researchers have emphasized that the site where the fossils of the ancient penguins has been found can be an important tool for preserving evidences of their earlier structures.Thaindian.NEWS
