Introducing ’small diver‘: One of the smallest penguins ever found

Penguins are fascinating creatures that have captured the hearts of people around the world with their adorable waddling and impressive swimming abilities. A recent study has shed light on the evolution of these beloved birds by uncovering the secrets of a tiny penguin that lived 24 million years ago in southern New Zealand.

Discovered in the 1980s, the fossils of this 1-foot-tall penguin have puzzled researchers for decades. However, a team of scientists has now identified it as a previously unknown species called Pakudyptes hakataramea. The name Pakudyptes combines the Māori word „paku,“ meaning „small,“ with the Greek word „dyptes,“ meaning „diver,“ reflecting the penguin’s diminutive size and aquatic lifestyle.

What makes Pakudyptes so significant is its unique combination of shoulder and elbow joints. While its shoulder joints resemble those of present-day penguins, its elbow joints are more similar to those of extinct penguins. This distinctive feature makes Pakudyptes the „key“ fossil in understanding how penguins evolved their wings over time.

Standing at around 11.8 to 13.8 inches tall, Pakudyptes was comparable in size to the smallest living penguins, such as the little blue penguin. The fossils of Pakudyptes were found in the Hakataramea Quarry in South Canterbury and were analyzed using computed tomography (CT) scanners to create a 3D image. This technology allowed researchers to compare the bones of Pakudyptes to those of living penguins, providing valuable insights into its place on the evolutionary tree.

The dense bones of Pakudyptes suggest that it was well-adapted for swimming and diving, similar to modern penguins. The presence of a medullary cavity in its bones, a feature shared with little blue penguins, indicates that Pakudyptes may have frequented shallow waters. This tiny penguin offers a glimpse into the diversification of penguins during the transition from the Oligocene to the Miocene epochs.

According to study co-author Carolina Loch, Pakudyptes played a crucial role in the rapid evolution of penguins during this period. Its small size and unique bone structure may have contributed to the ecological diversity of modern penguins. By studying fossils like Pakudyptes, researchers can piece together the puzzle of how these remarkable birds developed their distinctive wings and adapted to their marine environment.

In conclusion, the discovery of Pakudyptes hakataramea provides valuable insights into the evolution of penguins and highlights the importance of studying fossil records to understand the history of life on Earth. This tiny penguin may have lived millions of years ago, but its legacy continues to inform our understanding of the natural world and the incredible journey of these charismatic birds.