LeBron Raymone James Sr. is probably one of the most popular physically gifted athletes around the world. Towering over 2.06 m (6 ft 9 inches) LeBron James weighs around 113 kg or 250 lbs.
LeBron is not only a huge person but also one of the tallest NBA players of the decade. His skills, along with his huge height and weight, have made him one of the best NBA players of all time.
On the contrary, a mature Penguin is 3-4 feet tall and weighs around 35-45 kg, which is even less than the average height and weight of a common man. But what if I tell you, the ancestors of Penguines were as huge as a giant?
Yes, you heard it right. The ancestors of Penguins, known as Colossus Penguins, were extinct 37 million years ago and were even bigger than LeBron James. Let’s uncover more about the prehistoric giant Colossus Penguins:
Colossus Penguins- The Prehistoric Monster Penguins:
A research team from La Plata Museum in Argentina found a complete fossil of an ancient Penguin from Seymour Island off the Antarctica Peninsula that was almost 37 million years old. This fossil is recorded as the longest fossil ever uncovered from Antarctica.
Scientists believe the fossil belongs to Colossus Penguines, scientifically known as Palaeeudyptes klekowskii, an extinct species of Penguins.
Studying the bones, researchers have found that the species stood more than 2m tall from toe to beak tip and weighed more than 115 kgs or 254 lbs.
The team also guessed with beak down, in a normal standing pose, the Penguins were around 1.6m tall.
A normal comparison with Emperor Penguins (the biggest penguins found today), a Colossus Penguin is more than twice as big as an Emperor Penguin.
Due to their bigger size, scientists believe Colossus Penguins were excellent hunters and could dive underwater for more than 40 minutes to hunt fish.
The study of their bones indicates during the prehistoric era, the climate of the region was warmer and more than 14 species of Penguin species were living together.
However, Colossus Penguins were not the only giant Penguins in the prehistoric era.
In 2007, researchers found another fossil of Penguins, known as Icadyptes salasi in Peru that was almost 1.5 m tall (slightly smaller than Colossus Penguins) and extinct around 36 million years ago.
How Did Colossus Penguin Extinct?
There is not much information available about the extinction of Colossus Penguins. One of the possible reasons could be climate change and these Penguins found it difficult to survive in warmer climates.
Another possible theory could be the evolution of the Penguins. To cope with changing climates and new species, Penguins gradually reduced their sizes and went extinct from the earth.
Also Read: When Animal Defies Nature: The Only Male To Get Pregnant
