Adorable extinct penguin was one of the smallest of its kind to ever walk Earth, tiny skull fossils reveal
The newfound extinct species is remarkably similar to the living "little penguin," which only weighs around 2 pounds.
Scientists have uncovered the twee remains of one of the smallest extinct penguin species ever found, which waddled around New Zealand around 3 million years ago.
Researchers unearthed two fossilized skulls belonging to the newly discovered species, named Wilson's little penguin (Eudyptula wilsonae), in the southern Taranaki region of the country's North Island. The shape of the skulls, which belonged to a fully grown adult and a juvenile, are remarkably similar in both size and shape to little penguins (Eudyptula minor), which still exist today and are the smallest living species of penguin.
Due to the lack of bones, researchers are unsure exactly how small the extinct birds were, but living little penguins normally grow to a maximum size of around 13.5 inches (35 centimeters) and weigh around 2 pounds (0.9 kilogram).
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