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Massive Species Of Extinct Penguin Discovered

By Kamal Nayan | Update Date: Aug 03, 2014 12:04 PM EDT

Researchers have discovered colossal penguin bones from the extinct species Palaeeudyptes klekowskii on an island in the Antarctic Peninsula, according to a new study. 

The study added that the newly uncovered bones belong to a 2-meter-long behemoth, the tallest and the heaviest penguin ever described. 

Presently, Penguins today range wildly in size from the 40-centimeter little blue penguin to the 116-centimeter emperor penguin. The new study describes two new Palaeeudyptes klekowskii bones of "striking dimensions."

According to researchers tarsometatarsus -- at 9.13 centimeters (3.6 inches) -- would belong to "the largest and most massive penguin" described so far. They added that the penguin would have been up to 202 centimeters (6.6 feet) long, weighing up to 116.21 kilograms. 

"This giant bird was probably a piscivorous penguin, with a strong diving ability for catching prey. It could have stayed underwater for 40 minutes, said Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche from Museo de La Plata in Argentina," according to New Scientist. The study has been published in the journal Comptes Rendus Palevol. 

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