WFS News: C. waiparensis, A New penguin species fossil from the Paleocene of New Zealand

August 14th, 2019 Riffin

@WFS,World Fossil Society,Riffin T Sajeev,Russel T Sajeev

The discovery of Crossvallia waiparensis, a monster penguin from the Paleocene Epoch (between 66 and 56 million years ago), adds to the list of gigantic, but extinct, New Zealand fauna. These include the world’s largest parrot, a giant eagle, giant burrowing bat, the moa and other giant penguins.

An illustration shows the approximate height of a giant penguin next to a woman. Photograph: Canterbury Museum/AP

An illustration shows the approximate height of a giant penguin next to a woman. Photograph: Canterbury Museum/AP

C. waiparensis is one of the world’s oldest known penguin species and also one of the largest — taller even than today’s 1.2 metre Emperor Penguin — and weighing up to 70 to 80 kg.

Fig. 1 ?Crossvallia waiparensis, sp. nov. from the Waipara Greensand in New Zealand. A‒L, overview of the leg bones preserved in the holotype (CM 2018.23.9) and M‒O, tentatively referred proximal end of a left humerus (CM 2016.158.3). A‒C, Left tibiotarsus in cranial (A), caudal (B) and lateral (C) view. D‒F, Right tibiotarsus in cranial (D), caudal (E) and lateral (F) view. G, H, Distal end of left femur in cranial (G) and caudal (H) view. I‒K, Right tarsometatarsus in cranial (I), plantar (J) and distal (K) view. L, Pedal phalanx. M‒O, Tentatively referred proximal end of left humerus in caudal (M), ventral (N) and cranial (O) view. Abbreviations: cms, crista musculi supracoracoidei; fvd, foramen vasculare distale; fvp, foramen vasculare proximale; pst, pons supratendineus; stv, sulcus transversus. Scale bar = 50 mm. [Colour online].

Fig. 1 ?Crossvallia waiparensis, sp. nov. from the Waipara Greensand in New Zealand. A‒L, overview of the leg bones preserved in the holotype (CM 2018.23.9) and M‒O, tentatively referred proximal end of a left humerus (CM 2016.158.3). A‒C, Left tibiotarsus in cranial (A), caudal (B) and lateral (C) view. D‒F, Right tibiotarsus in cranial (D), caudal (E) and lateral (F) view. G, H, Distal end of left femur in cranial (G) and caudal (H) view. I‒K, Right tarsometatarsus in cranial (I), plantar (J) and distal (K) view. L, Pedal phalanx. M‒O, Tentatively referred proximal end of left humerus in caudal (M), ventral (N) and cranial (O) view. Abbreviations: cms, crista musculi supracoracoidei; fvd, foramen vasculare distale; fvp, foramen vasculare proximale; pst, pons supratendineus; stv, sulcus transversus. Scale bar = 50 mm. [Colour online].

A team comprising Canterbury Museum curators Dr Paul Scofield and Dr Vanesa De Pietri, and Dr Gerald Mayr of Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, Germany, analysed the bones and concluded they belonged to a previously unknown penguin species.In a paper published this week in Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, the team concluded that the closest known relative of C. waiparensis is a fellow Paleocene species Crossvallia unienwillia, which was identified from a fossilised partial skeleton found in the Cross Valley in Antarctica in 2000.

Fig. 2 ?Crossvallia waiparensis, sp. nov. from the Waipara Greensand, bones of the holotype (CM 2018.23.9) in comparison with the extant Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) and other penguins from the Paleocene of New Zealand. A‒C, ?C. waiparensis (holotype), distal end of left femur in cranial (A), caudal (B), and distal (C) view. D, Kumimanu biceae (holotype, NMNZ S.45877), distal end of right femur in distal view (some surrounding matrix digitally removed). E‒J, Sequiwaimanu rosieae (holotype, CM 2016.6.1), distal end of right femur in cranial (E, H), caudal (F, I) and distal (G, J) view; in H‒J, the bones are mirrored and brought to the same size as the ?C. waiparensis femur. K, Tibiotarsus of Aptenodytes forsteri in cranial view (left side, mirrored). L, ?C. waiparensis (holotype), right tibiotarsus in cranial view. M, Distal end of right tibiotarsus of Waimanu manneringi (holotype, CM zfa 35) in cranial view. N, O, Distal end of left tibiotarsus of S. rosieae (holotype, CM 2016.6.1) in cranial view; in O, the bone is mirrored and brought to the same size as the ?C. waiparensis tibiotarsus. P, Q, Partial right tibiotarsus of K. biceae (holotype, NMNZ S.45877) in cranial view; in P, the condylus medialis was digitally brought in its presumed original position and adhering bone fragments and matrix were digitally removed. R, S, ?C. waiparensis (holotype), right tarsometatarsus in plantar (R) and dorsal (S) view. T, U, Partial left tarsometatarsus of an unnamed very large penguin from the Waipara Greensand (CM 2016.158.1) in plantar (T) and dorsal (U) view. V, W, Right tarsometatarsus of W. manneringi (holotype, CM zfa 35) in plantar (V) and dorsal (W) view. X, Y, Right tarsometatarsus of Muriwaimanu tuatahi (CM zfa 34) in plantar (X) and dorsal (Y) view. Abbreviations: cdl, condylus lateralis; cdm, condylus medialis; mpr, medial projection of proximal tarsometatarsus; prj, proximal projection of crista patellaris; sfb, semicondylus fibularis; spt, sulcus patellaris; stf, semicondylus tibiofibularis. Scale bars = 50 mm; same scale for all figure panels except H‒J and O. [Colour online].

Fig. 2 ?Crossvallia waiparensis, sp. nov. from the Waipara Greensand, bones of the holotype (CM 2018.23.9) in comparison with the extant Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) and other penguins from the Paleocene of New Zealand. A‒C, ?C. waiparensis (holotype), distal end of left femur in cranial (A), caudal (B), and distal (C) view. D, Kumimanu biceae (holotype, NMNZ S.45877), distal end of right femur in distal view (some surrounding matrix digitally removed). E‒J, Sequiwaimanu rosieae (holotype, CM 2016.6.1), distal end of right femur in cranial (E, H), caudal (F, I) and distal (G, J) view; in H‒J, the bones are mirrored and brought to the same size as the ?C. waiparensis femur. K, Tibiotarsus of Aptenodytes forsteri in cranial view (left side, mirrored). L, ?C. waiparensis (holotype), right tibiotarsus in cranial view. M, Distal end of right tibiotarsus of Waimanu manneringi (holotype, CM zfa 35) in cranial view. N, O, Distal end of left tibiotarsus of S. rosieae (holotype, CM 2016.6.1) in cranial view; in O, the bone is mirrored and brought to the same size as the ?C. waiparensis tibiotarsus. P, Q, Partial right tibiotarsus of K. biceae (holotype, NMNZ S.45877) in cranial view; in P, the condylus medialis was digitally brought in its presumed original position and adhering bone fragments and matrix were digitally removed. R, S, ?C. waiparensis (holotype), right tarsometatarsus in plantar (R) and dorsal (S) view. T, U, Partial left tarsometatarsus of an unnamed very large penguin from the Waipara Greensand (CM 2016.158.1) in plantar (T) and dorsal (U) view. V, W, Right tarsometatarsus of W. manneringi (holotype, CM zfa 35) in plantar (V) and dorsal (W) view. X, Y, Right tarsometatarsus of Muriwaimanu tuatahi (CM zfa 34) in plantar (X) and dorsal (Y) view. Abbreviations: cdl, condylus lateralis; cdm, condylus medialis; mpr, medial projection of proximal tarsometatarsus; prj, proximal projection of crista patellaris; sfb, semicondylus fibularis; spt, sulcus patellaris; stf, semicondylus tibiofibularis. Scale bars = 50 mm; same scale for all figure panels except H‒J and O. [Colour online].

Canterbury Museum Senior Curator Natural History Dr Paul Scofield says finding closely related birds in New Zealand and Antarctica shows our close connection to the icy continent.”When the Crossvallia species were alive, New Zealand and Antarctica were very different from today — Antarctica was covered in forest and both had much warmer climates,” he says.

The leg bones of both Crossvallia penguins suggest their feet played a greater role in swimming than those of modern penguins, or that they hadn’t yet adapted to standing upright like modern penguins.

Fig. 3 A‒C, Holotype (CM 2018.23.9) and D‒F, tentatively referred proximal humerus (CM 2016.158.3) of ?Crossvallia waiparensis, sp. nov. from the Waipara Greensand in New Zealand, in comparison with G‒L, the holotype of Crossvallia unienwillia (MLP 00-I-10-1) from the Thanetian of Antarctica. A, B, Distal end of left femur in cranial (A) and caudal (B) view. C, Distal end of right tibiotarsus in cranial view; the dotted line indicates the sulcus extensorius. D‒F, Proximal end of tentatively referred left humerus in caudal (D), ventral (E) and cranial (F) view. G, H, Distal end of right femur in cranial (G) and caudal (H) view. I, Distal end of right tibiotarsus in cranial view; the dotted line indicates the sulcus extensorius. J‒L, Proximal end of left humerus in caudal (J), ventral (K) and cranial (L) view; the dotted lines indicate the broken portion of the bone. Scale bar = 50 mm. [Colour online].

Fig. 3 A‒C, Holotype (CM 2018.23.9) and D‒F, tentatively referred proximal humerus (CM 2016.158.3) of ?Crossvallia waiparensis, sp. nov. from the Waipara Greensand in New Zealand, in comparison with G‒L, the holotype of Crossvallia unienwillia (MLP 00-I-10-1) from the Thanetian of Antarctica. A, B, Distal end of left femur in cranial (A) and caudal (B) view. C, Distal end of right tibiotarsus in cranial view; the dotted line indicates the sulcus extensorius. D‒F, Proximal end of tentatively referred left humerus in caudal (D), ventral (E) and cranial (F) view. G, H, Distal end of right femur in cranial (G) and caudal (H) view. I, Distal end of right tibiotarsus in cranial view; the dotted line indicates the sulcus extensorius. J‒L, Proximal end of left humerus in caudal (J), ventral (K) and cranial (L) view; the dotted lines indicate the broken portion of the bone. Scale bar = 50 mm. [Colour online].

C. waiparensis is the fifth ancient penguin species described from fossils uncovered at the Waipara Greensand site.Dr Gerald Mayr says the Waipara Greensand is arguably the world’s most significant site for penguin fossils from the Paleocene Epoch. “The fossils discovered there have made our understanding of penguin evolution a whole lot clearer,” he says. “There’s more to come, too — more fossils which we think represent new species are still awaiting description.”

Dr Vanesa De Pietri, Canterbury Museum Research Curator Natural History, says discovering a second giant penguin from the Paleocene Epoch is further evidence that early penguins were huge. “It further reinforces our theory that penguins attained a giant size very early in their evolution,” she says.

The fossils of several giant species, including C. waiparensis, will be displayed in a new exhibition about prehistoric New Zealand at Canterbury Museum later this year.

This research was partly supported by the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Marsden Fund

  1. Gerald Mayr, Vanesa L. De Pietri, Leigh Love, Al Mannering, R. Paul Scofield. Leg bones of a new penguin species from the Waipara Greensand add to the diversity of very large-sized Sphenisciformes in the Paleocene of New Zealand. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1080/03115518.2019.1641619

@WFS,World Fossil Society,Riffin T Sajeev,Russel T Sajeev

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