A new species of penguin has been discovered in New Zealand. The fossils found indicate that they are the smallest penguins that ever existed, having lived in the region three million years ago. Among extinct species, they are also the oldest penguins ever discovered.
Historical research carried out by the University of Cambridge was published in Journal of Paleontology in June 2023.
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The extinct penguins have been dubbed the 'Wilson Penguin' and have the scientific name of Eudyptula wilsonae. The species name is a tribute to Kerry-Jayne Wilson, a renowned and important New Zealand ornithologist.
The skulls of an adult penguin and a juvenile penguin were located in the North Island of New Zealand. Although complete skeletons of the animals have not been found, researchers believe that the species was very small.
The discovery of the smallest penguin species
According to researchers, the species 'Wilson Penguin' is extinct. However, information obtained from the samples of the two fossilized skulls suggests that these penguins were smaller than today's penguins.
As mentioned above, the closest relative of the smallest penguins is the Eudyptula minor, popularly known as Blue Penguin. Current species of penguins are about 30 centimeters long and weigh 1.2 kilograms on average.
They live in New Zealand, South Australia, Tasmania and the Chatham Islands archipelago. The first records of this species are from 1781.
The lineage of the smallest species of penguin managed to maintain important survival characteristics, such as resistance to extreme temperature variations in the regions.
The researchers' analysis pointed out many similarities between the species, such as thermal tolerance, reinforcing how many features have remained even after millions of years of migrations to other regions.
However, one noted difference is that the skulls of ancient penguins were slightly narrower than the skulls of today's penguins.
In this way, the researchers' discovery is an important record for analyzing the evolution of penguins over the years.
The data also highlight the importance of preserving penguin species that still inhabit many regions of the world, even in the face of worrying climate changes that could drive other animals to extinction.
