Giant Waikato penguin: School kids discover new species

Date:
September 16, 2021
Source:
Taylor & Francis Group
Summary:
A giant fossilized penguin discovered by New Zealand school children
has been revealed as a new species.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A giant fossilized penguin discovered by New Zealand school children has
been revealed as a new species in the peer-reviewed Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology by Massey University researchers.


========================================================================== Penguins have a fossil record reaching almost as far back as the age
of the dinosaurs, and the most ancient of these penguins have been
discovered in Aotearoa. Fossil penguins from Zealandia (ancient Aotearoa)
are mostly known from Otago and Canterbury although important discoveries
have recently been made in Taranaki and Waikato.

In 2006 a group of school children on a Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club (JUNATS) fossil hunting field trip in Kawhia Harbour, led by the club's
fossil expert Chris Templer, discovered the bones of a giant fossil
penguin.

Researchers from Massey University and Bruce Museum (Connecticut, United States) visited Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato to analyse
the fossil bones of the ancient penguin. The team used 3D scanning as
part of their investigation and compared the fossil to digital versions
of bones from around the world. 3D scanning also meant the team could
produce a 3D-printed replica of the fossil for the Hamilton Junior
naturalists. The actual penguin fossil was donated by the club to the
Waikato Museum in 2017.

Dr Daniel Thomas, a Senior Lecturer in Zoology from Massey's School of
Natural and Computational Sciences, says the fossil is between 27.3 and
34.6 million years old and is from a time when much of the Waikato was
under water.

"The penguin is similar to the Kairuku giant penguins first described
from Otago but has much longer legs, which the researchers used to name
the penguin waewaeroa -- Te reo M?ori for 'long legs'. These longer legs
would have made the penguin much taller than other Kairuku while it was
walking on land, perhaps around 1.4 metres tall, and may have influenced
how fast it could swim or how deep it could dive," Dr Thomas says.

"It's been a real privilege to contribute to the story of this incredible penguin. We know how important this fossil is to so many people," he adds.



========================================================================== "Kairuku waewaeroa is emblematic for so many reasons. The fossil penguin reminds us that we share Zealandia with incredible animal lineages that
reach deep into time, and this sharing gives us an important guardianship
role. The way the fossil penguin was discovered, by children out
discovering nature, reminds us of the importance of encouraging future generations to become kaitiaki [guardians]." Mike Safey, President of
the Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club says it is something the children
involved will remember for the rest of their lives.

"It was a rare privilege for the kids in our club to have the opportunity
to discover and rescue this enormous fossil penguin. We always encourage
young people to explore and enjoy the great outdoors. There's plenty
of cool stuff out there just waiting to be discovered." Steffan Safey
was there for both the discovery and rescue missions. "It's sort of
surreal to know that a discovery we made as kids so many years ago
is contributing to academia today. And it's a new species, even! The
existence of giant penguins in New Zealand is scarcely known, so it's
really great to know that the community is continuing to study and learn
more about them. Clearly the day spent cutting it out of the sandstone
was well spent!" Dr Esther Dale, a plant ecologist who now lives in Switzerland, was also there.



========================================================================== "It's thrilling enough to be involved with the discovery of such a large
and relatively complete fossil, let alone a new species! I'm excited to
see what we can learn from it about the evolution of penguins and life
in New Zealand." Alwyn Dale helped with the recovery of the fossil. "It
was definitely one of those slightly surreal things to look back on --
absolute bucket list moment for me. After joining JUNATS there were
some pretty iconic stories of amazing finds and special experiences --
and excavating a giant penguin fossil has got to be up there! A real
testament to all the parents and volunteers who gave their time and
resources to make unique and formative memories for the club members."
Taly Matthews, a long-time member of the Hamilton Junior Naturalist
Club, and who works for the Department of Conservation in Taranaki,
says, "Finding any fossil is pretty exciting when you think about how
much time has passed while this animal remained hidden away, encased in
rock. Finding a giant penguin fossil though is on another level. As more
giant penguin fossils are discovered we get to fill in more gaps in the
story. It's very exciting." The research was led by PhD student Simone Giovanardi, with Dr Daniel Ksepka, Bruce Museum and Dr Daniel Thomas,
Massey University.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Taylor_&_Francis_Group. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Simone Giovanardi, Daniel T. Ksepka, Daniel B. Thomas. A giant
Oligocene
fossil penguin from the North Island of New Zealand. Journal of
Vertebrate Paleontology, 2021; DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2021.1953047 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210916114606.htm

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