Extinct Ancient Penguin Species Discovered in New Zealand

Named the Waitaha penguin by a team of biologists from the University of Otago, University of Adelaide and Canterbury Museum, the newly identified penguin once lived on the shores of New Zealand's South Island.

The scientists had set out to investigate changes in the population of the endangered yellow-eyed penguin since human settlement in New Zealand and were startled to discover the previously unknown penguin species.

Bones of the extinct penguin species (Photo courtesy University of Otago)

Led by Otago Zoology PhD student Sanne Boessenkool, the researchers identified the extinct Waitaha penguin using ancient DNA from prehistoric bones, combined with traditional techniques, such as studying bone structures.

"It is estimated that the so-called Waitaha Penguin became extinct between 1300 and 1500 AD, soon after Polynesian settlement," she said.

"The penguin's extinction, combined with Maori cultural shifts and changes in predator populations, created an opportunity for the yellow-eyed penguin to colonize New Zealand's mainland around 500 years ago," she said.

"Our findings demonstrate that yellow-eyed penguins on mainland New Zealand are not a declining remnant of a previous abundant population, but came from the sub-Antarctic relatively recently and replaced the extinct Waitaha Penguin," said team member Dr. Jeremy Austin, deputy director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide.

Yellow-eyed penguin, in Curio Bay, New Zealand. (Photo by Christian Mehlführer)

"Previous analysis of fossil records and anecdotal evidence suggested that the yellow-eyed penguin was more abundant and widespread in the past, but it now appears they have only been around for 500 years," he said.

"We found that the extinct species was closely related to the yellow-eyed penguin, which is now assumed to be a relatively recent arrival from the subantarctic Auckland and Campbell Islands," Boessenkool said.

"Competition between the two species may have previously prevented the yellow-eyed penguin from expanding northwards," said Dr. Austin, "but environmental changes in the predator population, such as the severe decline of sea lions, might have facilitated their colonization in the South Island."

The yellow-eyed penguin is considered one of the world's rarest penguin species, with an estimated population of 7,000 in New Zealand.

The world's third-largest penguin species, it is the focus of an extensive conservation effort. The main threats include habitat degradation and introduced predators as well as environmental changes.

The team's findings are published this week in the international biological research journal "Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences."

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