Paleocene Penguins

The oldest fossil penguin was discovered in the Late Paleocene, Cross Valley Formation on Seymour Island, Antarctica and recently described in the journal Geobios. Significantly larger than modern penguins, Crossvallia unienwillia contains all the hallmarks of penguin anatomy in three fragmentary bones. Most notably the preserved humerus, which reveals a very modern-looking penguin.




Claudia P. Tambussi, Marcelo A. Reguero, Sergio A. Marenssi and Sergio N. Santillana. 2005. Crossvallia unienwillia, a new Spheniscidae (Sphenisciformes, Aves) from the Late Paleocene of Antarctica, Geobios, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 2 August 2005.