Thomas Huxley described Palaeeudyptes antarcticus from a single tarsometatarsus found at Kakanui, North Otago. The age of the specimen is uncertain, but likely to be about 32 million years old (earliest Oligocene).

This was the first fossil penguin ever named, and it is the type species in a genus now recognised as containing at least four species from New Zealand, South Australia and Seymour Island (off the Antarctic Peninsula). The Palaeeudyptes penguins were very large, with the smallest species being similar in size to an emperor penguin. Huxley’s penguin was one of the larger species.

Several other penguin fossils, including from South Australia and Seymour Island, have been incorrectly assigned to this species over the years. Currently Palaeeudyptes antarcticus is known only from the type locality (Kakanui) and Burnside Quarry (near Dunedin); neither of these specimens includes wing (flipper) bones. The inappropriate alternative name ‘narrow-flippered penguin’ was coined by W.R.B. (Brook) Oliver, who accepted James Hector’s referral of wing and leg bones from Seal Rock, Nelson Province, to this species. Ksepka et al. (2012) considered the Seal Rock specimen to be of an indeterminate genus, and so Palaeeudyptes antarcticus is known from leg bones only. The holotype tarsometatarsus is held in the Natural History Museum, UK (BM A.1084).

The genus name means ancient good diver. The species name is a misnomer, as the type locality is at latitude 45° 12' S.

Weblinks

Otago University

Wikipedia

References

Fordyce, R.E. 1991. A new look at the fossil vertebrate record of New Zealand. Pp 1191-1316 in Vickers-Rich, P.; Monaghan, J.M.; Baird, R.F.; & Rich, T.H. (eds) Vertebrate palaeontology of Australasia. Melbourne, Pioneer Design Studio and Monash University Publications Committee.

Hector, J. 1872. On the remains of a gigantic penguin (Palaeeudyptes antarcticus, Huxley) from the Tertiary rocks on the west coast of Nelson. Transactions of the New Zealand Institute 4: 341-346.

Huxley, T. H. 1859. On a fossil bird and a fossil cetacean from New Zealand. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 15: 670-677.

Ksepka, D.T.; Fordyce, R.E.; Ando, T.; Jones, C.M. 2012. New fossil penguins (Aves: Sphenisciformes) from the Oligocene of New Zealand reveal the skeletal plan of stem penguins. Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology 32: 235-254.

Oliver, W.R.B. 1930. New Zealand birds. Wellington, Fine Arts.

Simpson, G.G. 1971. A review of the pre-Pliocene penguins of New Zealand. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 144: 319-378.

Recommended citation

Miskelly, C.M. 2013 [updated 2022]. Huxley’s penguin. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz