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Penguin cranial remains from the Eocene La Meseta Formation, Isla Marambio (Seymour Island), Antarctic Peninsula

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche  and
Nadia Haidr
Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche*
Affiliation:
División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, 1900 La Plata, Argentina
Nadia Haidr
Affiliation:
División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, 1900 La Plata, Argentina
*
acostacaro@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar
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Abstract

Widely accepted ideas about trophic preferences of early penguins suggest that all Eocene sphenisciforms were piscivorous. However, recent findings from the La Meseta Formation (Eocene) of Antarctica, support the presence of at least two different morphotypes that may have evolved as a niche partitioning strategy, which is consistent with the high diversity recorded. The first of them corresponds to a medium–large sized penguin, resembling the Neogene species in configuration. Another morphotype is represented by extremely large penguins with very long and slender bills, clearly linked to fish catching habits.

Keywords

fossil penguinmorphotypesskullsSpheniscidae
Type
Earth Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 23 , Issue 4 , 12 July 2011 , pp. 369 - 378
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2011

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