Chatham penguin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chatham penguin Temporal range: Late Holocene
Reconstruction by Sean Murtha
Scientific classification
Genus:	Eudyptes
Species:	warhami

The Chatham penguin (its scientific name is Eudyptes warhami), also called the Warham penguin, was a type of crested penguin. It is now extinct, meaning it no longer exists. This penguin was special because it was endemic to the Chatham Islands. These islands are located east of mainland New Zealand.

We only know about the Chatham penguin from its subfossil bones. These are old bones found in the ground. Scientists believe it likely became extinct soon after Polynesians first arrived on the Chatham Islands, about 450 years ago.

Discovering the Chatham Penguin

For many years, scientists found bones of crested penguins (from the group Eudyptes) in old deposits on the main Chatham Island. At first, people thought these bones belonged to other penguin species, like the Fiordland penguin or the erect-crested penguin.

However, in 1994, two researchers named Tennyson and Millener noticed something different. The bones from the Chatham Islands were not quite the same as those from other known species. They thought these bones probably belonged to a unique type of crested penguin that lived only on the Chathams. They called it the "Chatham Island crested penguin," but it didn't have a formal scientific name yet.

How DNA Helped

Later, as part of a big study on how different penguin species have changed over time, scientists looked closely at these bones. They were able to get all the mitochondrial DNA from the subfossil bones found on Chatham Island. They then compared this DNA to other Eudyptes species.

The DNA from the Chatham bones was different enough. This proved that the Chatham penguin was indeed its own distinct species. So, in 2019, it was officially described and given the name E. warhami. It was named after John Warham, a very important researcher who studied penguins.

Scientists also used the DNA to figure out when this species first appeared. They found that the Chatham penguin separated from its closest relative, the erect-crested penguin (which lives on the Antipodes Islands), between 1.1 and 2.5 million years ago. This timing fits with when the Chatham Islands themselves rose out of the sea, which happened about 3 million years ago.

Why the Chatham Penguin Disappeared

The Chatham Islands were settled by Polynesians around 1450 AD. The Chatham penguin, E. warhami, was likely hunted until it became extinct within 150 to 200 years after people arrived. Many other bird species and even a type of sea lion also disappeared around the same time. It's almost certain that this penguin was already extinct before Europeans first came to the Chatham Islands.

Was it Seen Later?

There was a suggestion that the species might have survived until the late 1800s. This idea came from a record of a crested penguin from the Chathams being kept in captivity around 1871 or 1872. The record called it "Eudyptes pachyrhynchus." However, this name was also used for other crested penguins like the erect-crested penguin (E. sclateri) and the Snares penguin (E. robustus) at that time.

Today, we know that crested penguins often visit the Chathams. At least three other species have been seen there: Snares crested penguins (E. robustus), erect-crested penguins (E. sclateri), and rockhopper penguins (E. chrysocome). So, the penguin kept in captivity was probably one of these visiting species, not the extinct Chatham penguin.

Where Else Were Bones Found?

Bones of the Chatham penguin have also been found in old sites on mainland New Zealand. These places include the Wairarapa, Banks Peninsula, Marlborough, and Paekakariki areas. These bones likely came from individual penguins that strayed from the Chathams and ended up on the mainland. They do not mean that the Chatham penguin had breeding groups on mainland New Zealand. Similarly, some bones of the erect-crested penguin (E. sclateri) were found on the Chathams, which also likely came from stray birds.

See also

In Spanish: Pingüino de Chatham para niños