New fossil shows how penguins evolved - RNZ

[Michael Szabo]

A fossil of a penguin that lived in Otago millions of years ago has shed light on the evolution of penguins. Researchers say the now extinct penguin was very small - about the same size as the Little Penguin - with anatomical adaptations that allowed it to dive and fills a morphological gap between modern and fossil penguins.

Lead author Dr Tatsuro Ando, formerly a PhD candidate at the University of Otago and now at the Ashoro Museum of Palentology in Japan, collaborated with researchers from Otago, Okayama University of Science, and Osaka University.

Link to RNZ news report: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/523 ... as-evolved