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'Monster' penguin discovered in New Zealand

The remains of a "monster" penguin have been found in New Zealand, according to researchers.

The new giant species was identified from fossils found in Waipara, North Canterbury.

The bird, Crossvallia waiparensis, would have stood at 1.6m (5.2ft) and weighed up to 12 stone (80kg).

In comparison, the world's tallest living penguin, the Emperor Penguin, stands at 1.2m (4ft) high.

Thought to be one of the world’s oldest known penguin species, the bird dates back to the Paleocene Epoch - around 66 and 56 million years ago.

"The discovery of Crossvallia waiparensis, a monster penguin from the Paleocene Epoch, adds to the list of gigantic, but extinct, New Zealand fauna," a statement on the Canterbury Museum's website said.

It added: "These include the world's largest parrot, a giant eagle, giant burrowing bat, the moa and other giant penguins."

According to the statement, the discovery was made by amateur palaeontologist Leigh Love.

The findings were published in Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology this week.

The leg bones of the penguin suggested their feet played a greater role in swimming than modern penguins. An alternative theory is that the penguins had not begun standing upright.

Dr Vanesa De Pietri, from the Canterbury Museum Research Curator Natural History, said the discovery "reinforces our theory that penguins attained a giant size very early in their evolution".

The fossils of several giant species will be displayed at Canterbury Museum later this year.