Speaking of Antarctic penguins, I believe many people will think of the kind of humble cold zone creatures, which are characterized by their short stature and small size. But in fact, this is just the image of a modern penguin. In the history of the earth, there have been cases when they are no less tall than humans and weigh more than 150 kilograms. And this penguin, living in an age of about 57 million years ago.
1. Largest penguin
Human research on paleontology is actually more difficult than the study of history and archaeology. Because historical research, in addition to relying on excavated evidence, can also be analyzed according to historical records. The study of paleontology can basically only hope for the emergence of paleontological fossils.
In fact, when human beings study paleontology, they often encounter many blank period problems: that is, if a certain period of earth history does not leave paleontological fossils at that time, then paleontological research will fall into a blank state. In addition, if newly discovered fossils appear, research on paleontology is often updated.
In recent years, for example, scientists have discovered that human ancestors were ancient fish. Although this statement is opposed by many anti-intellectuals, science is science, and there is no room for blind talk.
Recently, scientists discovered that fossilized prehistoric penguins have been found in New Zealand's South Island. According to expert estimates, the body length of this penguin is as high as one meter seven, and the height of many adult girls may not have this height. In terms of weight, this penguin is about 150 kilograms away, folded into a city pound, that is, 300 pounds - much heavier than an adult fat man.
2. Penguin situation
This giant penguin has been named the Fox's Troll Penguin by the biological community. Based on geological analysis, scientists believe that the first appearance of this penguin was about 57 million years ago. At that time, the earth had just finished the age of dinosaurs. So it can be judged that the ancestors of this penguin are the descendants of survivors after the extinction of dinosaurs.
Penguins belong to the birds. The ancestors of penguins also fly. So it's not hard to understand why the asteroid hit the Earth, causing the extinction of the dinosaurs, but sparing the ancestors of the penguins. However, because of its large size and visible degradation of its wings, paleontologists can basically judge that this Fox's monster penguin no longer has the ability to fly.
So the question arises: what causes the Fox Troll penguins to be so large? Scientists believe that this is because 57 million years ago, the environment in which the Fox monster penguins lived was very favorable to them: on the one hand, the Fox's monster penguins were relatively easy to forage, and on the other hand, there were no other creatures that fed on the Fox's monster penguins. All this led to the Fox monster penguin being able to savagely evolve and become a penguin in the Big Mac mode.
3. Explore
So the question arises: why do penguins not exist in New Zealand in contemporary times? The answer is obvious: New Zealand's penguins later went extinct. Including the Fox monster penguins also went extinct. Regarding the cause of the extinction of the Fox's monster penguin, the paleontological community is still in a state of research. Personally, I think that the main reasons for the extinction of the Fox's monster penguin are nothing more than two points: one is that the living environment of ancient New Zealand is not suitable for the survival of the Fox's monster penguin, so it leads to the extinction of the Fox's monster penguin, and the other may be that the Fox's monster penguin lost its source of rations, which eventually led to the extinction of the Fox's monster penguin - after all, this penguin has a large food consumption.
In fact, in recent centuries, many species on Earth have gone extinct. Antarctic penguins are also facing survival challenges due to global climate change.