Palaeospheniscus patagonicus
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Palaeospheniscus patagonicus Temporal range: Early Miocene |
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Fossil
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Sphenisciformes |
| Family: | Spheniscidae |
| Subfamily: | Palaeospheniscinae |
| Genus: | Palaeospheniscus |
| Species: | P. patagonicus |
| Binomial name | |
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Palaeospheniscus patagonicus Moreno & Mercerat, 1891 |
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| Synonyms | |
Palaeospheniscus patagonicus is the type species of the penguin genus Palaeospheniscus, which is known from fossils. It stood about 65–75 cm high in life, roughly the size of an African penguin.
This species is known from several dozen bones, found in Early Miocene strata of the Patagonian Molasse Formation. The specimens from known localities were collected near Trelew and Gaiman in Chubut Province, Argentina.
Currently, there is some debate about whether Palaeospheniscus wimani is a synonym of this species or not.
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Wikipedia