28 Million Year Old Giant Penguin Goes Digital
8 June 2015
The giant penguin fossil
A 28 million year old giant penguin fossil found at Kawhia in 2006 will be shown for the first time alongside its 3D
scanned profile in a new exhibition opening at Waikato Museum on Saturday 13 June.
Waikato Museum collaborated with Massey University to develop the exhibition, Giant in the North, and put into context
the fossil’s relevance and significance in the scientific world. Massey University palaeontologist, Dr Daniel Thomas
scanned the 3D profile of the fossil and hopes the resulting image can help researchers in the future formally identify
the Kawhia penguin.
“This is the largest and most complete fossil bird from a very important time in the history of the North Island.
“It is my hope that we have the opportunity to formally describe the specimen and discover the species it belongs to.
There are so few fossil penguins known from the North Island, and it would be great to know how this specimen compares
to the giants from the South Island, and from elsewhere,” said Dr Thomas.
Giant in the North celebrates the discovery of the Kawhia giant penguin fossil in January 2006 by members of the
Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club (JUNATs). Other fossils from the same geological time of the Kawhia giant penguin (24 –
28 million years ago) will also be on display, including a specimen of an ancient shark, found by JUNATs patron and
archaeology enthusiast Chris Templer.
Scanning technology is now more accessible and proving to be integral in museum collection work. In the field of
palaeontology, detailed bone features can be examined from the other side of the world.
“The collaboration with Massey University has been a fantastic opportunity to apply current technology in collection
research. We can now share more detail with our visitors and involve them in the journey to uncover the mystery
surrounding this extraordinary fossil,” said Waikato Museum Director Cherie Meecham.
Giant Penguin Specialist Talk
Dr Daniel Thomas will give a free public lecture on penguin evolution and the Kawhia giant penguin at Waikato Museum on
Saturday 13 June from 2pm – 2.45pm.
For more information on the Kawhia giant penguin and the JUNAT’s discovery, visit waikatomuseum.co.nz.
ENDS