Korora facts for kids

Korora oliveri, also known as Oliver's penguin, was an extinct type of penguin that lived a very long time ago in New Zealand. It was a small and slender penguin, similar in size to some of the larger crested penguins we see today. Scientists have learned about this ancient bird from its fossils.

Discovering Oliver's Penguin

Oliver's penguin was officially described by a scientist named Brian Marples in 1952. He found a special fossil bone called a tarsometatarsus. This is a long bone found in the lower leg of birds, connecting the ankle to the toes. Finding this bone helped scientists understand what this ancient penguin looked like.

Where and When Did It Live?

This extinct penguin lived in what is now New Zealand. The fossil was found in the Hakataramea Valley, which is in the Canterbury area of the South Island.

Oliver's penguin lived during a time called the Waitakian Stage. This period stretches from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene epochs. This means it lived between about 25.2 and 21.7 million years ago. That's a very long time before humans existed!

What Does Its Name Mean?

The name Korora comes from the Māori term for the little penguin. The little penguin is a small, living penguin species found in New Zealand and Australia. So, the genus name Korora connects this extinct penguin to its modern relatives.

The second part of its name, oliveri, was chosen to honor Walter Oliver. He was an important person in New Zealand's history of museums. Walter Oliver was the director of the Dominion Museum (now known as the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa) for many years.