Reevaluation of the penguin skeleton from the Eocene Leticia Formation, Tierra del Fuego and an additional remain

ACOSTA HOSPITALECHE, C .; OLIVERO, E.

ALCHERINGA

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2015 vol. 40 p. 373 - 382

0311-5518

Eocene penguins are widely known mostly from antarctic specimens. In this paper, a skeleton already described constituted by the pelvis, femur, tibiotarsus and fibula, coming from the middle Eocene Leticia Formation (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) is prepared and re-studied. The correct state of knowledge, substantially improved during the last few years, allows its assignment to Palaeeudyptes gunnari, a species widely recorded in the Eocene of Antarctica. A new isolated coracoid was also studied. These remains are the only vertebrates known from this unit and provide important information about the relationships between South America and Antarctica during the Paleogene. Paleobiological attributes and morphological studies indicate that both specimens belonged to large penguins with limited diving capabilities and a wing propulsion cinematic similar to that of living species.