Giant penguin fossil yields clues about modern penguins

WASHINGTON - Some ancient penguins may have been twice as big as the Emperor penguin but they lacked the dashing tuxedo.

Researchers unearthed remains of a nearly 5-foot-tall penguin that roamed what is now Peru about 36 million years ago, and they also discovered fossilized feathers that show that back then, the flightless bird was a more motley mix of reddish-brown and gray.

Yesterday's report in the journal Science is more than a curiosity about color. Analyzing the fossil led to a new discovery about modern penguins, which in turn raises questions about how their feathers evolved to help them become such expert swimmers.

It's one of the largest penguins that ever lived, estimated to have been twice as heavy as the average Emperor penguin of today.

The second species of giant penguin discovered in Peru, it was given the name Inkayacu paracasensis, or Water King, part of a cluster of now-extinct species that apparently ranged over much of the Southern Hemisphere.

A stroke of luck helped paleontologists find the feathers. A student on the dig team, from the Museo de Historia Natural in Lima, discovered the fossil's foot and noticed it had scales, evidence of soft tissue that's rarely preserved. Maybe there was more soft tissue and, if so, they'd have to excavate extra carefully.

"We got incredibly excited," said paleontologist Julia Clarke of the University of Texas at Austin, who led the team. "Moving really slowly, flake by flake by flake through this giant block," they eventually uncovered a flipper with layers of small feathers and under it, fossilized body feathers, too.

The scientists can't explain the difference. But they say it probably has to do with more than the black tuxedo coloration of today's penguins.