Pachydyptes

Pachydyptes is an extinct genus of penguin. It contains the single species Pachydyptes ponderosus, the New Zealand giant penguin. This taxon is known from a few bones from Late Eocene (37 to 34 MYA) rocks in the area of Otago.

Pachydyptes
Temporal range: Late Eocene 37–34 Ma
↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae
Subfamily: †Palaeeudyptinae
Genus: †Pachydyptes
Oliver, 1930
Species:
†P. ponderosus
Binomial name
†Pachydyptes ponderosus
Oliver, 1930
Synonyms
  • Palaeeudyptets antarcticus
    Hector, 1873 (partim)
  • Pachydyptes ponderosa
    Lowe, 1939 (lapsus)
  • Anthropornis ponderosus
    Lowe, 1939
  • Anthropornis ponderosa
    Lowe, 1939 (lapsus)
  • Anthropornis nordenskjoldi
    Lowe, 1939 (partim)

With a height of 140 to 160 cm (about 5 ft) and weighing around 80 to possibly over 100 kg, it was the second-tallest penguin ever, surpassed only by Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi in height, but probably not in weight.

Pachydyptes was slightly larger than Icadyptes salasi, the best-identified of the giant penguins.

References
  • Oliver, Walter R. B. (1930). [Genus Pachydyptes]. In: New Zealand birds, 85–86. Wellington: Fine Arts.
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