By the time the ice retreated, the separated penguins had evolved into different species. Advancing ice pushed penguins northward, probably cutting some populations off from one another and enabling them to take their own evolutionary paths for about 100,000 years.
During that period, Earth has gone through cycles of glacial and interglacial periods in which the polar ice expanded and retreated. Most species alive today diverged from each other in the last 2 million years or so, Ksepka said. The findings suggest that penguins originated near what is today New Zealand sometime before 60 million years ago, dispersed to South America and Antarctica, and then returned to New Zealand. In the study, researchers evaluated fossil evidence alongside the genomes of all still-living penguins, and partial genomes for those that went extinct within the past few hundred years. Over time, evolution created a “motley crew of interesting penguin characters,” Ksepka said, from penguins with long spear-like bills to penguins with red feathers to birds that stood a foot or two taller than today’s largest penguin species, the emperor, which measures about 3 feet 7 inches (1.1 meters) tall. (This flying ancestor hasn’t yet been discovered in the fossil record, so it’s not known precisely when penguins lost their aerial abilities.) “These early ones are probably evolving from a puffin-like animal that could still fly through the air,” Ksepka said. They had longer legs and beaks, and their wings were still more winglike than flipperlike, Ksepka told Live Science. By that time, penguins were already flightless, though they looked very different from modern penguins. The oldest penguin fossils date to 62 million years ago, said study co-author Daniel Ksepka, a paleontologist at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut. Together, the findings suggest that penguins as a group adapted to survive some serious environmental changes that unfolded over millions of years. But penguins lost their ability to fly and instead became streamlined swimmers some 60 million years ago, long before the Antarctic ice sheet formed - and researchers have now revealed how that happened.Ī new study of penguin fossils and the genomes of current and recently extinct penguins identified an array of genetic adaptations the birds made to live an aquatic lifestyle from vision that is sensitive to underwater blue tones to genes related to blood oxygenation, and even to changes in bone density. Below was my view from where I sat.Penguins are perhaps best known for being flightless birds whose wings help them “fly” through frigid Antarctic waters. This is a super fun place to visit on a beautiful day! I was amazed we sat outside on a slightly brisk but beautiful October evening. Jerk Chicken Sandwich and Waffle Fries… And last but not least Shrimp Tacos with Fried Okra. As you are sitting there you will suddenly feel the restaurant move and lurch around…probably not always the best thing when people are drinking $5 margaritas, but damn it sure is fun! Even more fun if you own a boat and can park it right out front! We showed up to happy hour after a particularly rough day of moving, but this margarita with the fun mermaid cheered me right up! We also enjoyed some good grub… A chips and salsa trio – from left – black bean, mango, and house salsa. The place is literally floating on the Columbia River – I have been to many restaurants on the waterfront, but nothing quite like this. Thankfully, we have an awesome and very unique happy hour spot close to our new place – The Puffin Cafe. God, I forgot how hard, exhausting, and time consuming moving is. Apologies for the brief hiatus – I have been caught in the craziness that is moving.
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