Archaeospheniscus lowei facts for kids

Archaeospheniscus lowei was a very large, extinct penguin. It lived many millions of years ago. This ancient bird stood about 85 to 115 centimeters (33 to 45 inches) tall. That's bigger than a modern king penguin but a bit smaller than an emperor penguin.

Scientists know about Archaeospheniscus lowei from its bones. These bones were found in New Zealand.

Discovering an Ancient Penguin

Scientists found the first bones of Archaeospheniscus lowei in a place called Duntroon, New Zealand. These bones came from a rock layer known as the Kokoamu Greensand Formation. This rock layer is very old, about 27 to 28 million years old! This time period is called the Late Oligocene epoch.

What We Found

The main discovery was bones from one single penguin. These bones are now kept at the Otago Museum in New Zealand. Scientists also found other possible bone pieces, like a femur (a leg bone), that might belong to this same type of penguin.

Naming the Penguin

This special penguin was named Archaeospheniscus lowei to honor a scientist named Percy Lowe.

Who Was Percy Lowe?

Percy Lowe was a scientist who studied ancient penguins. He had some interesting ideas about where these birds came from. He thought that prehistoric penguins might have developed from reptiles. This idea was later found to be incorrect by other scientists. However, his work was still important for understanding ancient birds.

See also

In Spanish: Pingüino de Lowe para niños