Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi
Encyclopedia
Anthropornis is a genus
of giant penguin
that lived 37-45 million years ago, during the Late Eocene
and the earliest part of the Oligocene
. It reached 1.7 metre in height and 90 kg (198.4 lb) in weight. Fossils of it have been found on Seymour Island
off the coast of Antarctica and in New Zealand
. By comparison, the largest modern penguin species, the Emperor Penguin
, is just 1.2 metre tall.
The type species, Anthropornis nordenskjoldi, had a bent joint in the wing, probably a carryover from flying ancestors.
1931 novel At the Mountains of Madness
were fictional cave-dwelling descendants of this bird. They used their large beaks to prey on small dinosaurs.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of giant penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
that lived 37-45 million years ago, during the Late Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
and the earliest part of the Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
. It reached 1.7 metre in height and 90 kg (198.4 lb) in weight. Fossils of it have been found on Seymour Island
Seymour Island
Seymour Island is an island in the chain of 16 major islands around the tip of the Graham Land on the Antarctic Peninsula. Graham Land is closer to continental land mass than any other part of that Antarctica. It lies within the section of the island chain that resides off the west side of the...
off the coast of Antarctica and in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. By comparison, the largest modern penguin species, the Emperor Penguin
Emperor Penguin
The Emperor Penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching in height and weighing anywhere from . The dorsal side and head are black and sharply delineated from the white belly,...
, is just 1.2 metre tall.
The type species, Anthropornis nordenskjoldi, had a bent joint in the wing, probably a carryover from flying ancestors.
In literature
The enormous six-foot and blind albino penguins in H. P. Lovecraft'sH. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
1931 novel At the Mountains of Madness
At the Mountains of Madness
At the Mountains of Madness is a novella by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in February/March 1931 and rejected that year by Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright on the grounds of its length. It was originally serialized in the February, March and April 1936 issues of Astounding Stories...
were fictional cave-dwelling descendants of this bird. They used their large beaks to prey on small dinosaurs.