Argentinian researchers have announced that they have identified remains of fossilized skin from a wing belonging to a 43 million-year-old penguin on Marambio Island in the Antarctic.
The discovery of the fossil was made during a campaign carried out in 2014. The remains were then studied at the Museum of La Plata by the Argentinian paleontologist Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche, said this Friday the Agency for the Scientific Dissemination of National University of La Matanza.
Sin antecedentes: hallan en la Antártida la piel petrificada de un pingüino que vivió hace 43 millones de años (vía @CONICETDialoga) enfnico en el mundo ”, enfatiza Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche, investigadora del @CONICETDialoga en la @naturales_unlp. https://t.co/L5csEElARp pic.twitter.com/JhnINGeu5h
- FundaciónDinosaurios (@FDinosaurios) March 14, 2020Thrives 43 million years ago
The fossilized skin belonged to a Palaeeudyptes gunnari , a species of penguin now extinct. It flourished in Antarctica during the Eocene when the region was covered with wood and was home to diverse wildlife.
"The fossilization of the skin of this wing is a unique fact because it is the first copy in the world of this penguin with the skin preserved," rejoiced Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche. "The skin has been preserved in the form of a fossil on the two surfaces of the wing, surrounding the bones which have remained articulated in their original position," she added.
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