Big Bird: Five-Foot Penguin Fossil Found in Peru

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The fossil of a giant penguin that lived 36 million years ago has been discovered in Peru.

Scientists reveal that the penguin, christened Pedro by discoverers, was five feet tall, nearly twice the weight of the Emperor Penguin, the largest living species, also featured a long black beak.

The bird, named Inkayacu paracasensis, or Water King, proudly waddled the Earth during the late Eocene period sporting a rather old-school look.

The team of discoverers revealed to Science that the Water King’s feathers were brown and gray, unique compared to the black “tuxedo” appearance of modern penguins.

The fossil, found in Reserva Nacional de Paracas, determines that key features of the plumage were present quite early on in penguin evolution.

(Newsfeed wishes Google Street View was around 36 million years ago to give us a visual.)