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back to article Bone-bothering boffins build GIANT penguin from fossils

Bone-bothering boffins have reconstructed a giant prehistoric penguin species from fossils that were first found in New Zealand in 1977. Two Kairuku penguins come ashore, passing a stranded Waipatia dolphin Artist's impression of Kairuku penguins. Credit: Chris Gaskin, Geology Museum, University of Otago Ewan Fordyce, a …

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  1. Winkypop Silver badge
    Linux

    Pingwins

    I for one bow down to our long deceased uber-penguin antipodean overlords...

    1 0
  2. Ian Ferguson
    Facepalm

    What?

    "Kairuku was more than a foot taller than the modern Emperor penguin"

    ...

    "In reality, Kairuku was around 4-feet, 2 inches tall or so"

    How does that class as giant? And what's the last time you saw a 3 foot tall Emperor penguin?

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    1. Cameron Colley
      Reply Icon

      Re: What?

      The size comparison does seem a little off but I'd say a speciese that's between 50 and 100 percent larger than others is giant. I dont't know about you but I'd call a three metre tall man giant.

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      1. Eddy Ito
        Reply Icon
        Boffin

        Re: Re: What?

        Emperor penguins are 4 feet tall so finding a "giant" species that was 4' 2" hardly deserves the moniker. I suspect it's a typo and the new one is 5 feet tall and according to discovery.com about 130 pounds.

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      2. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Coat

        Re: Re: What?

        >>but I'd call a three metre tall man giant.

        Shirley that would be "sir!"?

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        1. stucs201
          Reply Icon

          Re: Re: Re: What?

          I don't care if you call the 3m tall man "a giant" or "sir", but don't call me Shirley.

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    2. Mike Kamermans
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      Re: What?

      I think you mean "today's emperor penguins reach 4 feet once full grown, how does an extra 2" make them giants compared to modern penguins?"

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm still not convinced that it's not the stone in the fossil expanding over the 25 million years to explain for all these huge animals.

    I know there's evidence to suggest that isn't the case but that kinda spoils the fun.

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  4. Stevie

    Bah!

    The reconstruction picture is wildly inaccurate. It does not show the green tentacles or the glowing eyes.

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    1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Bah!

      That's the Saharan Penguin you're thinking of.

      0 1
  5. Mike Flugennock
    Coat

    cute Monty Python penguin joke in 5...4...3...2...1...

    "...it's six o'clock, and time for the penguin on top of your television set to explode..."

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  6. xperroni
    Alert

    Beaked terror

    Y'know, the way those penguins are standing beside that stranded fish makes it look rather like they're returning to shore with their quarry in tow... Though of course no penguin would prey on something that big and menacing.

    Right? I mean, right?

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  7. K. Adams
    Alien

    While they were at it, did they find any...

    ...fossil casts of 2-meter tall, five-ridged, star-shaped, winged, plant/animal hybrid things in the vicinity?

    (And there-- heard faintly in the background of the expedition's audio logs, barely discernible above the tape hiss, a high, shrill call carried by the wind: "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!")

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  8. P. Lee
    Linux

    Kudos though

    Stats analysis and extrapolation turned out rubbish results.

    If only more stuff portrayed as science admitted this...

    0 1
  9. Mr Larrington
    Happy

    Peng Yay!

    ISTR an episode of Steve Bell's "If", in which Reg Kipling described five-foot tall extinct penguins as resembling "Francis Pym dressed as a nun".

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