Palaeospheniscus patagonicus

Palaeospheniscus patagonicus is the type species of the penguin genus Palaeospheniscus, which is known from fossils. It stood about 65 to 75 centimetres (26 to 30 in) high in life, roughly the size of an African penguin.

Palaeospheniscus patagonicus
Temporal range: Early Miocene (Colhuehuapian-Friasian)
~20.43–15.97 Ma
↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae
Genus: †Palaeospheniscus
Species:
†P. patagonicus
Binomial name
†Palaeospheniscus patagonicus
Moreno & Mercerat 1891
Synonyms
  • Palaeospheniscus menzbieri
    Moreno & Mercerat 1891
  • Palaeospheniscus interruptus
    Ameghino 1905
  • Palaeospheniscus intermedius
    Ameghino 1905
  • Palaeospheniscus affinis
    Ameghino 1905

Description

This species is known from several dozen bones, found in Early Miocene strata of the Gaiman Formation. The specimens from known localities were collected near Trelew and Gaiman in Chubut Province, Argentina.[1]

Currently, there is some debate about whether Palaeospheniscus wimani is a synonym of this species or not.[2]

References
  1. Palaeospheniscus patagonicus at Fossilworks.org
  2. Dyke, Gareth; Kaiser, Gary, eds. (2011). Living Dinosaurs: The Evolutionary History of Modern Birds. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. p. 162. ISBN 978-0-470-65666-2.

Further reading
  • Moreno, Francisco "Perito" & Mercerat, A. (1891): Catálogo de los pájaros fósiles de la República Argentina conservados en el Museo de La Plata. Anales del Museo de La Plata 1: 7-71, 21 plates.
  • Simpson, George Gaylord (1946): Fossil penguins. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 87: 7-99. PDF fulltext
  • Simpson, George Gaylord (1971): Conspectus of Patagonian fossil penguins. American Museum Novitates 2488: 1-37. PDF fulltext


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