Kumimanu biceae, an ancient penguin, which lived 55 to 60 million years ago, weighing 225 pounds (101 kg) and measuring nearly 6 feet (1.77 m) is pictured in comparison to a human diver in this handout artist's reconstruction. G. Mayr/Senckenberg Research Institute/Handout via REUTERS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have unearthed in New Zealand fossil bones of what might be the heavyweight champion of the penguin world, a bird nearly 6 feet tall (1.77 meters) that thrived 55 to 60 million years ago, relatively soon after the demise of the dinosaurs.
Researchers said on Tuesday the ancient penguin, called Kumimanu biceae, weighed nearly 225 pounds (101 kg), and was much bigger than the largest of these flightless seabirds alive today, the emperor penguin, which grows to about 4-1/4 feet (1.2 meters) and about 90 pounds (40 kg).
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