Archaeospheniscus wimani Temporal range: Middle Eocene–Late Eocene |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Sphenisciformes |
Family: | Spheniscidae |
Genus: | Archaeospheniscus |
Species: | A. wimani |
Binomial name | |
Archaeospheniscus wimani (Marples, 1953) |
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Synonyms | |
Notodyptes wimani Marples, 1953 |
Notodyptes wimani Marples, 1953
Archaeospheniscus wimani is an extinct species of penguin. It was the smallest species of the genus Archaeospheniscus, being approximately 75-85 cm high, or about the size of a gentoo penguin. It is also the oldest known species of its genus, as its remains were found in Middle or Late Eocene strata (34-50 MYA) of the La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island, Antarctica. It is known from a fair number of bones.
The species' binomen honors Carl Wiman, an early 20th-century researcher who laid the groundwork for the classification of the prehistoric penguins.