Giant Penguin-like birds may have walked the northern hemisphere millions of years ago

In a remarkable discovery, scientists have now claimed that an ancient bird species, of similar structure to penguins, walked the earth millions of years ago. There was existing evidence that ‘First penguin species’ nicknamed Kumimanu inhibited New Zealand. However, Palaoelogists have now discovered that similar giant birds also roamed abound Japan, USA and Canada.

Read: Argentina: Rare 2-million-year-old Frog Fossil Reveals Details About Evolution Of Toads

Earlier, fossils of 62 million-year-old ancestor of penguins were discovered in New Zealand helping scientists to identify nine different species of penguins. However, the recently discovered fossil in the northern hemisphere unveiled that a different type of bird, bigger than those of new Zeeland, existed. 

Read: 'Oldest Known Animal': 425 Million-years-old Millipede Fossil Discovered In Scotland

Platopterids

Platopterids shared all the features of modern-day penguins, like long beaks, similar chest, nostrils and shoulder bones. However, the researchers found out that that Platopterids were not penguins at all. In fact, these creatures evolved between 34 and 37 million years later than penguins and in a different hemisphere. 

Speaking to international media reporters, Dr Paul S Cofield, from Canterbury Museum new Zealand said that Pllatopterids looked and swam like penguins and probably ate penguins, but they were nothing like penguins. These birds evolved in different hemispheres, millions of years apart, but from a distance, "you would be hard-pressed to tell them apart, " he added. 

Scientists believe that this finding would help them understand more about evolution and help them find out why many birds have evolved to swim and not to fly. They have called their latest discovery "Example of convergent evolution" which happens when creatures develop similar features because of having to adapt to similar environments, even though this could happen millions of years apart or in different parts of the world.

Read: Pope Francis Urges People To Shift From Fossil Fuels To Renewable Energy

Read: 5-8 Million Years Old Elephant Fossil Found In Siwalik Sediments Of Uttar Pradesh

Image credits: Mark Witton