Giant Penguin
Encyclopedia
The giant penguin is a cryptid
, allegedly seen in Florida during the 1940s. The legend has no scientific merit and is at least partly documented to have been a hoax.
. Later, more tracks were found along the shore of Suwannee River
, 40 miles (60 kilometers) from the ocean. A young couple also reported having been harassed by a large creature that had risen from the ocean.
Later that year a giant penguin was allegedly sighted at distance. The huge bird
was described as 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall, and having alligator
-like feet. During this same period, people in a boat off the Florida gulf coast
reported seeing an extremely large penguin-like bird floating on the water. These incidents were reported in several newspapers. Later that year, another huge, penguin-like bird was allegedly seen from an airplane on the banks of the Suwannee River
in northern Florida. The sighter, zoologist Ivan T. Sanderson
, declared that the creature was a giant penguin that had somehow been driven away out its natural habitat.
On April 11, 1988, St. Petersburg Times
reporter Jan Kirby revealed that the penguin hoax had been perpetrated by Tony Signorini and Al Williams, a locally known prankster who died in 1969. Signorini stated they had been inspired by a photograph of fossil
ized dinosaur tracks, and showed the reporter the huge penguin feet made of iron
used in creating the tracks. Their story had problems, however. First, some of the tracks found showed evidence of movement of the toes, whereas the iron cast could not move. Also, tracks were found in a location where a 35-pound weight dropped from three feet failed to make a dent, while the casts only weighed 30 pounds. Finally, the tracks indicated the purported creature had a six-foot stride, and it is practically impossible for a man wearing 30-pound iron casts on his feet to leap six feet without falling or smearing the tracks he is leaving.
There were numerous prehistoric species
of gigantic penguins (such as Pachydyptes ponderosus and Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi
; see also Palaeeudyptinae
). These are known from considerable amounts of fossil
remains, but all such lineages certainly became extinct some 25 mya at latest; they were never encountered alive by humans, and just barely were contemporaries of the earliest hominids.
Actual prehistoric megafauna
l bird
s only occurred in South Pacific
and Cape Horn
ocean
waters. No ecological niche
is known to have existed anywhere which could have ensured their post-Paleogene
survival, as their known habitat and the neighboring regions are known to have been continuously inhabited by other penguin species and similar competitor taxa ever since.
Giant penguins based on the fossil finds also appear in Jules Verne's
novel Journey to the Center of the Earth
, and in At the Mountains of Madness
by H. P. Lovecraft
. In the latter case, they are found in a fictitious Antarctic
underground setting and their presence is given a comparatively plausible evolutionary explanation.
Cryptid
In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely. Famous examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas and the Loch Ness Monster in...
, allegedly seen in Florida during the 1940s. The legend has no scientific merit and is at least partly documented to have been a hoax.
History
In 1948, several people reported finding large, three-toed animal tracks at Clearwater Beach in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Later, more tracks were found along the shore of Suwannee River
Suwannee River
The Suwannee River is a major river of southern Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long. The Suwannee River is the site of the prehistoric Suwannee Straits which separated peninsular Florida from the panhandle.-Geography:The river rises in the...
, 40 miles (60 kilometers) from the ocean. A young couple also reported having been harassed by a large creature that had risen from the ocean.
Later that year a giant penguin was allegedly sighted at distance. The huge bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
was described as 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall, and having alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
-like feet. During this same period, people in a boat off the Florida gulf coast
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
reported seeing an extremely large penguin-like bird floating on the water. These incidents were reported in several newspapers. Later that year, another huge, penguin-like bird was allegedly seen from an airplane on the banks of the Suwannee River
Suwannee River
The Suwannee River is a major river of southern Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long. The Suwannee River is the site of the prehistoric Suwannee Straits which separated peninsular Florida from the panhandle.-Geography:The river rises in the...
in northern Florida. The sighter, zoologist Ivan T. Sanderson
Ivan T. Sanderson
Ivan Terence Sanderson was a naturalist and writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland, who became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Sanderson is remembered for his nature writing and his interest in cryptozoology and paranormal subjects.-Biography:Born in Scotland, Sanderson traveled widely in...
, declared that the creature was a giant penguin that had somehow been driven away out its natural habitat.
On April 11, 1988, St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
reporter Jan Kirby revealed that the penguin hoax had been perpetrated by Tony Signorini and Al Williams, a locally known prankster who died in 1969. Signorini stated they had been inspired by a photograph of fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
ized dinosaur tracks, and showed the reporter the huge penguin feet made of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
used in creating the tracks. Their story had problems, however. First, some of the tracks found showed evidence of movement of the toes, whereas the iron cast could not move. Also, tracks were found in a location where a 35-pound weight dropped from three feet failed to make a dent, while the casts only weighed 30 pounds. Finally, the tracks indicated the purported creature had a six-foot stride, and it is practically impossible for a man wearing 30-pound iron casts on his feet to leap six feet without falling or smearing the tracks he is leaving.
There were numerous prehistoric species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of gigantic penguins (such as Pachydyptes ponderosus and Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi
Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi
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 in height and in weight. Fossils of it have been found on Seymour Island off the coast of Antarctica and in New Zealand...
; see also Palaeeudyptinae
Palaeeudyptinae
The New Zealand Giant Penguins, Palaeeudyptinae, are an extinct subfamily of penguins. It includes several genera of medium-sized to very large species - including Palaeeudyptes marplesi and Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi which grew tall or even larger, and the massive Pachydyptes ponderosus which...
). These are known from considerable amounts of fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
remains, but all such lineages certainly became extinct some 25 mya at latest; they were never encountered alive by humans, and just barely were contemporaries of the earliest hominids.
Actual prehistoric megafauna
Megafauna
In terrestrial zoology, megafauna are "giant", "very large" or "large" animals. The most common thresholds used are or...
l bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s only occurred in South Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
waters. No ecological niche
Ecological niche
In ecology, a niche is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in its ecosystem to each other; e.g. a dolphin could potentially be in another ecological niche from one that travels in a different pod if the members of these pods utilize significantly different food...
is known to have existed anywhere which could have ensured their post-Paleogene
Paleogene
The Paleogene is a geologic period and system that began 65.5 ± 0.3 and ended 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and comprises the first part of the Cenozoic Era...
survival, as their known habitat and the neighboring regions are known to have been continuously inhabited by other penguin species and similar competitor taxa ever since.
Giant penguins based on the fossil finds also appear in Jules Verne's
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
novel Journey to the Center of the Earth
Journey to the Center of the Earth
A Journey to the Center of the Earth is a classic 1864 science fiction novel by Jules Verne. The story involves a German professor who believes there are volcanic tubes going toward the center of the Earth...
, and in 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...
by H. P. Lovecraft
H. 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....
. In the latter case, they are found in a fictitious Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
underground setting and their presence is given a comparatively plausible evolutionary explanation.