Kumimanu

Ku-me-ma-nu.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Kumimanu ‭(‬monster bird‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ku-me-ma-nu.

Named By

G.‭ ‬Mayr,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Scofield,‭ ‬V.‭ ‬L.‭ ‬De Pietri‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Tennyson‭ ‬-‭ ‬2017.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Aves,‭ ‬Sphenisciformes.

Diet

Piscivore.

Species

K.‭ ‬biceae‭

Size

Roughly estimated to stand between‭ ‬1.6‭ ‬and‭ ‬1.7‭ ‬centimetres tall.

Known locations

New Zealand‭ ‬-‭ ‬Moeraki Formation.

Time Period

Paleocene.

Fossil representation

Partial skeleton.

In Depth

       Kumimanu is a genus of penguin that lived in New Zealand during the Paleocene period.‭ ‬With a minimum height of one hundred and sixty centimetres,‭ ‬Kumimanu was huge for a penguin.‭ ‬This makes Kumimanu at least fifty centimetres taller than the emperor penguin‭ (‬Aptenodytes forsteri‭) ‬which is the largest penguin alive today.‭ ‬Like living penguins,‭ ‬Kumimanu is thought to have hunted fish.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A Paleocene penguin from New Zealand substantiates multiple origins of gigantism in fossil Sphenisciformes.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Nature Communication‭ ‬8:1927.‭ ‬-‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Mayr,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Scofield,‭ ‬V.‭ ‬L.‭ ‬De Pietri‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Tennyson‭ ‬-‭ ‬2017.

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