Penguins, The Flightless Biped

Penguin

Penguins (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, with only one species, the Galapagos penguin, found north of the equator. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have evolved into flippers. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid and other forms of sea life which they catch while swimming underwater. They spend roughly half of their lives on land and the other half in the sea.

Etymology

The word penguin first appears in the 16th century as a synonym for great auk.^[2] When European explorers discovered what are today known as penguins in the Southern Hemisphere, they noticed their similar appearance to the great auk of the Northern Hemisphere, and named them after this bird, although they are not closely related.^[3]

• Basal and unresolved taxa (all fossil)
  • Anthropodyptes (Middle Miocene)
  • Arthrodytes (San Julian Late Eocene/Early Oligocene – Patagonia Early Miocene of Patagonia, Argentina)
  • Aprosdokitos Hospitaleche, Reguero & Santillana 2017
  • Crossvallia (Cross Valley Late Paleocene of Seymour Island, Antarctica)
  • Ichthyopteryx Wiman 1905
  • Inguza (Late Pliocene)
  • Kaiika Fordyce & Tomas 2011 (Maxwell's penguin)
  • Korora (Late Oligocene of S Canterbury, New Zealand)
  • Nucleornis (Early Pliocene of Duinfontain, South Africa)
  • Orthopteryx Wiman 1905
  • Palaeoapterodytes (Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of Argentina)
  • Pseudaptenodytes (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene)
  • Tasidyptes Van Tets & O’Connor 1983 nomen dubium (Hunter Island penguins)
  • Tereingaornis (Middle Pliocene of New Zealand)
  • Tonniornis (Late Eocene –? Early Oligocene of Seymour Island, Antarctica)
  • Wimanornis (Late Eocene –? Early Oligocene of Seymour Island, Antarctica)
• Spheniscidae
  A reconstruction of the ancient penguin Icadyptes
  • Waimanu Jones, Ando & Fordyce 2006 (Middle-Late Paleocene)
  • Kumimanu Mayr, 2017
  • Delphinornis Wiman 1905 (Middle/Late Eocene? – Early Oligocene of Seymour Island, Antarctica)
  • Marambiornis Myrcha et al. 2002 (Late Eocene –? Early Oligocene of Seymour Island, Antarctica)
  • Mesetaornis Myrcha et al. 2002 (Late Eocene –? Early Oligocene of Seymour Island, Antarctica)
  • Perudyptes Clarke et al. 2007 (Middle Eocene of Atacama Desert, Peru)
  • Anthropornis Wiman 1905 (Middle Eocene? – Early Oligocene of Seymour Island, Antarctica)
  • Palaeeudyptes Huxley 1859 (Middle/Late Eocene – Late Oligocene)
  • Icadyptes Clarke et al. 2007 (Late Eocene of Atacama Desert, Peru)
  • Pachydyptes Oliver 1930 (Late Eocene)
  • Inkayacu Clarke et al. 2010 (Late Eocene of South America)
  • Kairuku Ksepka et al. 2012 (Late Oligocene of E South Island, New Zealand)
  • Paraptenodytes Ameghino 1891 (Early – Late Miocene/Early Pliocene)
  • Archaeospheniscus Marples 1952 (Middle/Late Eocene – Late Oligocene)
  • Duntroonornis Marples 1953 (Late Oligocene of Otago, New Zealand)
  • Platydyptes Marples 1952 (Late Oligocene of New Zealand)^[18]
  • Dege Simpson 1979 (Early Pliocene of South Africa) – possibly Spheniscinae
  • Marplesornis Simpson 1972 (Early Pliocene)
  • Subfamily Palaeospheniscinae (slender-footed penguins) (fossil)
    • Eretiscus Olson 1986 (Patagonia Early Miocene of Patagonia, Argentina)
    • Palaeospheniscus Moreno & Mercerat 1891 (Early? – Late Miocene/Early Pliocene) – includes Chubutodyptes
  • Subfamily Spheniscinae
    • Spheniscidae gen. et sp. indet. CADIC P 21 (Leticia Middle Eocene of Punta Torcida, Argentina)^[19]
    • Spheniscidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of Hakataramea, New Zealand)^[20]
    • Madrynornis (Puerto Madryn Late Miocene of Argentina)