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posted by Fnord666 on Friday July 03 2020, @05:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the Year-of-the-six-foot-tall-Linux-desktop! dept.

New Zealand's ancient monster penguins had northern hemisphere doppelgangers:

New Zealand's monster penguins, which lived 62 million years ago, had doppelgangers in Japan, the U.S. and Canada, a study published today in the Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research has found.

Scientists have identified striking similarities between the penguins' fossilized bones and those of a group of much younger Northern Hemisphere birds, the plotopterids.

These similarities suggest plotopterids and ancient penguins looked very similar and might help scientists understand how birds started using their wings to swim instead of fly.

Around 62 million years ago, the earliest known penguins swam in tropical seas that almost submerged the land that is now New Zealand. Paleontologists have found the fossilized bones of these ancient waddlers at Waipara, North Canterbury. They have identified nine species, ranging in size from small penguins, the size of today's Yellow-Eyed Penguin, to 1.6-meter-high monsters.

Plotopterids developed in the Northern Hemisphere much later than penguins, with the first species appearing between 37 and 34 million years ago. Their fossils have been found at a number of sites in North America and Japan. Like penguins, they used their flipper-like wings to swim through the sea. Unlike penguins, which have survived into the modern era, the last plotopterid species became extinct around 25 million years ago.

Journal Reference:
Gerald Mayr, James L. Goedert, Vanesa L. De Pietri, et al. Comparative osteology of the penguin‐like mid‐Cenozoic Plotopteridae and the earliest true fossil penguins, with comments on the origins of wing‐propelled diving, Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research (DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12400)


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  • (Score: 1, Flamebait) by Runaway1956 on Friday July 03 2020, @06:44PM (4 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday July 03 2020, @06:44PM (#1015818) Journal

    The part of that drawing that is inappropriate, is, she is sitting astride the horse, and that's all. Someone is holding the reins, leading the horse. It implies that she's just some helpless bitch, dependent on someone, probably a man, to show her where to go, and how to get there.

    Go on, look at that photo again. Just another stupid bitch with teats and a uterus.

    Is that politically correct, or what?

    Starting Score:    1  point
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  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 03 2020, @07:06PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 03 2020, @07:06PM (#1015823)

    Nah, the real PC reading for the takedown is that the horse isn't kneeling on its knee in support of the kniggers.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 03 2020, @09:06PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 03 2020, @09:06PM (#1015853)

    "...just some helpless bitch, dependent on someone..."

    Could be worse. Some folks are led by Putin's patsy.

    "...stupid bitch with teats..."

    FTFA: "...more closely related to boobies..."

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 03 2020, @11:41PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 03 2020, @11:41PM (#1015918)

    What she needs is me riding behind her, holding the rein and taking care of business.

    Jacinda, call me.

    • (Score: 1, Redundant) by Runaway1956 on Saturday July 04 2020, @12:35AM

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday July 04 2020, @12:35AM (#1015931) Journal

      Well, to each his own. Personally, I have never considered riding nude, so that my nutsack was being abraded on sweaty horse hair. This doesn't even consider the fact that the woman likely carries several pounds more than the drawing indicates. So, she's going to be crushing my already abraded nutsack at every step the horse takes? Oh well, if it takes a little pain to get you off, go for it. Put that gelding into a full run, and take care of business!!