Remains of an ancient penguin the size of a man, which lived 55 million years ago, found in New Zealand

Scientists have discovered the remains of an ancient penguin that was as tall as a man on one of the beaches in New Zealand.

It is reported by The Guardian.

According to scientific data, these prehistoric birds existed about 55-60 million years ago. Measurements of the skeleton fragments showed that this penguin, which could not fly, weighed about 100 kilograms and had a body length of 1.77 metres, which is equal to the average human height.

Read also: A 200 million-year-old dinosaur spine piece discovered in China

Compared to today's emperor penguins, which are the tallest species of penguin and are only 1.2 metres tall, this penguin was significantly larger. The researchers named this new species Kumimanu biceae, which translates as "great mythological monster" in the Maori language.

Scientists believe that this species became extinct about 20 million years ago, when marine mammals began to appear, making it difficult for birds to compete for food.

As a reminder, scientists have found a snake that can swallow the largest possible prey.

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