Palaeospheniscus wimani
Extinct species of bird
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The extinct penguin Palaeospheniscus wimani is a member of the genus Palaeospheniscus, which belonged to the prehistoric subfamily Palaeospheniscinae. It was the largest member of its genus, being just as large as the Magellanic penguin of today (to which it is quite unrelated).
| Palaeospheniscus wimani | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Sphenisciformes |
| Family: | Spheniscidae |
| Genus: | †Palaeospheniscus |
| Species: | †P. wimani |
| Binomial name | |
| †Palaeospheniscus wimani Ameghino 1905 | |
| Synonyms | |
Description
A fairly large number of fossil bones has been found, some of which are tentatively assigned to this species. They are from the Early Miocene Gaiman Formation. The specimens from known localities were collected near Trelew and Gaiman in Chubut Province, Argentina.[1] As there is not much notable difference apart from size, this species is sometimes considered a synonym of Palaeospheniscus patagonicus.[citation needed]
Carl Wiman is honored by the binomen wimani. He was one of the foremost researcher of prehistoric penguins in the early 20th century.
