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. 2017 Dec 12;8(1):1927.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-01959-6.

A Paleocene penguin from New Zealand substantiates multiple origins of gigantism in fossil Sphenisciformes

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Free PMC article

A Paleocene penguin from New Zealand substantiates multiple origins of gigantism in fossil Sphenisciformes

Gerald Mayr et al. Nat Commun. .
Free PMC article

Abstract

One of the notable features of penguin evolution is the occurrence of very large species in the early Cenozoic, whose body size greatly exceeded that of the largest extant penguins. Here we describe a new giant species from the late Paleocene of New Zealand that documents the very early evolution of large body size in penguins. Kumimanu biceae, n. gen. et sp. is larger than all other fossil penguins that have substantial skeletal portions preserved. Several plesiomorphic features place the new species outside a clade including all post-Paleocene giant penguins. It is phylogenetically separated from giant Eocene and Oligocene penguin species by various smaller taxa, which indicates multiple origins of giant size in penguin evolution. That a penguin rivaling the largest previously known species existed in the Paleocene suggests that gigantism in penguins arose shortly after these birds became flightless divers. Our study therefore strengthens previous suggestions that the absence of very large penguins today is likely due to the Oligo-Miocene radiation of marine mammals.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Wing and pectoral girdle bones of the new giant penguin. a K. biceae n. gen. et sp. (holotype, NMNZ S.45877) from the Paleocene of New Zealand, partially prepared concretion with all bones in situ. b K. biceae (holotype), right coracoid in dorsal view (dotted lines indicate reconstructed outline of bone). c Left coracoid of Waimanu tuatahi from the late Paleocene of New Zealand (CM zfa 34; specimen mirrored to ease comparisons). df Fragmentary proximal end of the left ulna of K. biceae in (d) dorsal, (e) ventral, and (f) proximal view. g, h Left ulna of an undescribed new sphenisciform from the Waipara Greensand (CM 2016.6.1) in (g) ventral and (h) proximal view; the dashed line in g indicates the portion of the bone preserved in the K. biceae holotype. i CT image of cranial surface of partial left humerus. j Exposed caudal surface of the bone, surrounding bones and matrix were digitally brightened. k, l CT images of caudal humerus surface with (k) minimum and (l) maximum length estimates based on the reconstructed outline of the bone (dotted lines). m Left humerus of Crossvallia unienwillia from the late Paleocene of Antarctica (holotype, MLP 00-I-10-1), which is one of the largest previously known Paleocene penguin species. n Left humerus of Pachydyptes ponderous from the late Eocene of New Zealand (holotype, NMNZ OR.1450), which was previously considered one of the largest fossil penguins. Abbreviations: cor, coracoid; dcp, dorsal cotylar process; fem, femur; fpt, fossa pneumotricipitalis; hum, humerus; olc, olecranon; ppc, procoracoid process; scc, scapular cotyla; sup, attachment scar for supracoracoideus muscle; tbt, tibiotarsus; vct, ventral cotyla. Scale bars equal 50 mm; same scale for b and c, f and h, and i-l, respectively
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Further bones of the giant Paleocene penguin from New Zealand. a K. biceae n. gen. et sp. (holotype, NMNZ S.45877), cranial portion of left scapula; in b the surrounding matrix and bones were digitally removed; the dotted line demarks an overlying bone fragment. c Left scapula of Waimanu tuatahi from the late Paleocene of New Zealand (CM zfa 34). d, e Thoracic vertebra of K. biceae in (d) caudal and (e) right lateral view. f Right femur of K. biceae in craniomedial view. g K. biceae, sternum in cranial view. h Right tibiotarsus in cranial view. i Digitally reconstructed distal end of tibiotarsus, in which the medial condyle was brought into its presumed original position and a piece of adhering bone fragment and matrix were removed. j Distal end of right tibiotarsus of Waimanu manneringi (holotype, CM zfa 35). afh, articulation facet of humerus; cas, coracoidal articulation sulcus; cdf, caudal articulation facet; crf, cranial articulation facet; ext, extensor sulcus; fem, femur; fib, fibular crest; lcd, lateral condyle; mcd, medial condyle; stk, sternal keel; vtp, ventral process. Scale bars equal 50 mm
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Phylogenetic interrelationships of the new penguin species. The phylogeny is based on the single most parsimonious tree resulting from the analysis of the reduced and emended data set (L = 369, CI = 0.79, RI = 0.79). The bars indicate the stratigraphic occurrence of the fossil species (white bars denote an uncertain exact occurrence within the indicated range); internode length is hypothetical. Bootstrap support values (majority rule consensus) are indicated next to the internodes. The penguin icons denote giant taxa with a size exceeding that of the Emperor Penguin

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