| Title |
A new fossil from the mid-Paleocene of New Zealand reveals an unexpected diversity of world’s oldest penguins
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
The Science of Nature, February 2017
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00114-017-1441-0 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Gerald Mayr, Vanesa L. De Pietri, R. Paul Scofield |
| Abstract |
We describe leg bones of a giant penguin from the mid-Paleocene Waipara Greensand of New Zealand. The specimens were found at the type locality of Waimanu manneringi and together with this species they constitute the oldest penguin fossils known to date. Tarsometatarsus dimensions indicate a species that reached the size of Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi, one of the largest known penguin species. Stem group penguins therefore attained a giant size very early in their evolution, with this gigantism existing for more than 30 million years. The new fossils are from a species that is phylogenetically more derived than Waimanu, and the unexpected coexistence of Waimanu with more derived stem group Sphenisciformes documents a previously unknown diversity amongst the world's oldest penguins. The characteristic tarsometatarsus shape of penguins evolved early on, and the significant morphological disparity between Waimanu and the new fossil conflicts with recent Paleocene divergence estimates for penguins, suggesting an older, Late Cretaceous, origin. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 130 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 17 | 13% |
| United Kingdom | 14 | 11% |
| Japan | 14 | 11% |
| Australia | 4 | 3% |
| Spain | 2 | 2% |
| Canada | 2 | 2% |
| New Zealand | 2 | 2% |
| Suriname | 1 | <1% |
| Austria | 1 | <1% |
| Other | 9 | 7% |
| Unknown | 64 | 49% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 98 | 75% |
| Scientists | 22 | 17% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 8 | 6% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 2% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 43 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 43 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 13 | 30% |
| Student > Bachelor | 7 | 16% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 3 | 7% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 3 | 7% |
| Student > Master | 3 | 7% |
| Other | 4 | 9% |
| Unknown | 10 | 23% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 12 | 28% |
| Earth and Planetary Sciences | 11 | 26% |
| Environmental Science | 4 | 9% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 2 | 5% |
| Social Sciences | 1 | 2% |
| Other | 1 | 2% |
| Unknown | 12 | 28% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 733. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 16 September 2021.
All research outputs
#27,904
of 25,755,403 outputs
Outputs from The Science of Nature
#3
of 2,277 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#564
of 325,437 outputs
Outputs of similar age from The Science of Nature
#2
of 31 outputs
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