Penguins .Animals with an endearing air that always make us smile, that awaken that tender feeling when they see their way of walking or when they discover how they take care of their young.you have the occasional stuffed animal at home, or it is even possible that you are a fan of the funny «Penguins of Madagascar».
But would you have the same feeling if the penguins measured 2 meters? They would be just as beautiful, there is no doubt about that, but perhaps we would see it with more fear, almost as a threat.So, is it true that there are penguins of such dimensions? Not at all.But we have to make a small nuance: "they existed." In a preterite time, very, very preterite, right in the Upper Eocene , that is, 36 million years ago.
The amazing Inkayaku
The first physical testimonies of the existence of the giant penguins are in Peru, right in the Paracas National Reserve .It was in 2008 when the remains of this exceptional animal were found.It was a complete skeleton, with fossilized feathers included.Feather, in fact, you have read well, and in addition to a color that went between gray to a rather peculiar red.

They called it Inkayaky, an animal that, as we have indicated before, lived during the Eocene, an era in which these birds began to spread and could compete with many other marine animals in search of of Food.His diving skills were already spectacular, and he could surely defend himself against other enormous sea creatures.
Our prehistoric penguin from Peru is almost two meters tall.You may be surprised, but we have surprised you, but we have think for example that the emperor penguin can reach for example 1, 20 meters high.But the Inkayacu, had a much more spectacular limbs, had a rowing shape and allowed him to move with an incredible ability in the water, but the truth is that, according to experts, it is very likely that he did not get so deep into his dives like the current penguins, but even so, their hunting technique must also be very sharp and spectacular.

The giant Antarctic penguin
In 2012 a new discovery was made.of a somewhat higher specimen, an animal that has come to exceed 2 meters high, but they are still in the process of investigation, and scientists, still do not dare to conclude if it could be treated of a new species, nor to contribute its "exact" measures.
The idea is to continue exploring the Antarctic plateau during the summers to find more remains, to Find more specimens to study and complete the information about these animals.At the moment they think it is a fossil unknown so far, so experts are eager to discover more about their life habits.We will wait, then, with calm and expectation, waiting to know more about these endearing giants that inhabited our planet in that past full of challenges and mysteries, where the great creatures exercised their ephemeral power, disappearing some and evolving others in somewhat smaller sizes.

Tell you, in addition, that we have the remains of another species of prehistoric penguin equally interesting.It is the Kairuku, lived in New Zealand and its name comes from Maori.It means "diver who comes back with food." They describe him as an elegant and large-sized animal.He weighed about 60 and a half kilos a little more than a meter and a half.
As you can see, our planet is a medium incredibly rich and wonderful in species, challenges for the world of science and incredible data to discover for all curious mind g> like ours.

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Image: Richard McManus
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