Kairuku

Kairuku; Temporal range: late Oligocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Artist's impression of Kairuku
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Sphenisciformes
Genus:	†Kairuku; Ksepka, Fordyce, Ando & Jones, 2012
Type species
	Kairuku waitaki; Ksepka, Fordyce, Ando & Jones, 2012
Species
	K. grebneffi Ksepka, Fordyce, Ando & Jones, 2012; Kairuku waitaki Ksepka, Fordyce, Ando & Jones, 2012; Kairuku waewaeroa Giovanardi, Ksepka & Thomas, 2021;

Kairuku is an extinct genus of penguin.^[1] It contains three species, K. grebneffi, K. waitaki ^[2] and K. waewaeroa.^[3] This taxon is known from bones from 27 MYA (late Oligocene), from the Kokoamu Greensand Formation of New Zealand.^[1] It was historically referred to as Palaeeudyptes.^[1]

The name Kairuku comes from the Māori words kai (“food”) and ruku (“to dive”).^[1]

Description[edit]

Size comparation of various species of Kairuku.

Kairuku is one of the most completely known genus of Paleogene penguins. Described species are larger than modern emperor penguin which stood around a meter,^[1] K. grebneffi stood 1.28 metres (4.2 ft) tall,^[1] and K. waewaeroa is even larger with height up to 1.38 metres (4.5 ft).^[3] Unnamed species called Glen Murray fossil penguin is estimated to have a height 2 to 20% taller than K. grebneffi.^[4]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Ksepka, Daniel T.; Fordyce, R. Ewan; Ando, Tatsuro; Jones, Craig M. (March 2012). "New fossil penguins (Aves, Sphenisciformes) from the Oligocene of New Zealand reveal the skeletal plan of stem penguins". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (2): 235–254. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.652051. JSTOR 41515052.
^ Giant Prehistoric Penguin was Bigger Than an Emperor | Observations, Scientific American Blog Network
^ ^a ^b Giovanardi, Simone; Ksepka, Daniel T.; Thomas, Daniel B. (16 September 2021). "A giant Oligocene fossil penguin from the North Island of New Zealand". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: e1953047. doi:10.1080/02724634.2021.1953047. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021.
^ Thomas, DB; Ksepka, DT (1 October 2016). "The Glen Murray fossil penguin from the North Island of New Zealand extends the geographic range of Kairuku". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 46 (3–4): 200–213. doi:10.1080/03036758.2016.1211541. ISSN 0303-6758.

External links[edit]

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[Kairuku-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Ksepka, Daniel T.; Fordyce, R. Ewan; Ando, Tatsuro; Jones, Craig M. (March 2012). "New fossil penguins (Aves, Sphenisciformes) from the Oligocene of New Zealand reveal the skeletal plan of stem penguins". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (2): 235–254. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.652051. JSTOR 41515052.

[2] Giant Prehistoric Penguin was Bigger Than an Emperor | Observations, Scientific American Blog Network

[Giovanardi-3] Giovanardi, Simone; Ksepka, Daniel T.; Thomas, Daniel B. (16 September 2021). "A giant Oligocene fossil penguin from the North Island of New Zealand". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: e1953047. doi:10.1080/02724634.2021.1953047. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021.

[4] Thomas, DB; Ksepka, DT (1 October 2016). "The Glen Murray fossil penguin from the North Island of New Zealand extends the geographic range of Kairuku". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 46 (3–4): 200–213. doi:10.1080/03036758.2016.1211541. ISSN 0303-6758.

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[2]

[3]

[4]

Kairuku

Contents

Description[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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