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First report on hind-toe development in Eocene Antarctic penguins

First report on hind-toe development in Eocene Antarctic penguins sIntroductionsPenguins (Aves: Sphenisciformes), wing-propelled diving seabirds, use their hind limbs mainly for steering underwater and walking on land. They are digitigrade animals, although can be plantigrade in slow motion or when at rest (Simpson 1946). Their metatarsal I and two phalanges forming the hallux or hind-toe are vestigial (Fig. 1a & b). Sphenisciformes may have existed in the Cretaceous, but the oldest known fossils are from the Palaeocene. Penguins became diversified and widely distributed by the Late Eocene (Jadwiszczak 2009). Thousands of Eocene penguin bones, assignable to at least ten species, come from Seymour (Marambio) Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Other fossils from this epoch are from South America, New Zealand and Australia (Jadwiszczak 2009).sFig. 1sFoot of the extant penguin Pygoscelis adeliae (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841) and tarsometatarsi of Eocene penguins from the La Meseta Formation, Seymour Island. a. & b. sPygoscelis adeliae. c. sMesetaornis sp., IB/P/B-0279b. d. sDelphinornis gracilis Wiman, 1905, IB/P/B-0279a. e. sPalaeeudyptes sp., IB/P/B-0290. f. & g. Unassigned specimen, IB/P/B-0970. (a. & g. side view, b.–f. plantar view).sThe single most important bone in fossil penguin taxonomy is undoubtedly the tarsometatarsus (Myrcha et al. 2002, Jadwiszczak 2008). This characteristic and morphologically complex skeletal element is the most common choice http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Antarctic Science Cambridge University Press

First report on hind-toe development in Eocene Antarctic penguins

Antarctic Science , Volume 26 (3): 2 – Oct 15, 2013
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Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2013 
ISSN
1365-2079
eISSN
0954-1020
DOI
10.1017/S0954102013000631
Publisher site
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Abstract

sIntroductionsPenguins (Aves: Sphenisciformes), wing-propelled diving seabirds, use their hind limbs mainly for steering underwater and walking on land. They are digitigrade animals, although can be plantigrade in slow motion or when at rest (Simpson 1946). Their metatarsal I and two phalanges forming the hallux or hind-toe are vestigial (Fig. 1a & b). Sphenisciformes may have existed in the Cretaceous, but the oldest known fossils are from the Palaeocene. Penguins became diversified and widely distributed by the Late Eocene (Jadwiszczak 2009). Thousands of Eocene penguin bones, assignable to at least ten species, come from Seymour (Marambio) Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Other fossils from this epoch are from South America, New Zealand and Australia (Jadwiszczak 2009).sFig. 1sFoot of the extant penguin Pygoscelis adeliae (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841) and tarsometatarsi of Eocene penguins from the La Meseta Formation, Seymour Island. a. & b. sPygoscelis adeliae. c. sMesetaornis sp., IB/P/B-0279b. d. sDelphinornis gracilis Wiman, 1905, IB/P/B-0279a. e. sPalaeeudyptes sp., IB/P/B-0290. f. & g. Unassigned specimen, IB/P/B-0970. (a. & g. side view, b.–f. plantar view).sThe single most important bone in fossil penguin taxonomy is undoubtedly the tarsometatarsus (Myrcha et al. 2002, Jadwiszczak 2008). This characteristic and morphologically complex skeletal element is the most common choice

Journal

Antarctic Science – Cambridge University Press

Published: Oct 15, 2013

References

  • An intriguing penguin bone from the Late Eocene of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula
  • Penguin past: the current state of knowledge
  • Notes on the osteology and phylogenetic affinities of the Oligocene Diomedeoididae (Aves, Procellariiformes)
  • Taxonomic revision of Eocene Antarctic penguins based on tarsometatarsal morphology
  • A comparative study of the appendicular musculature of penguins (Aves: Sphenisciformes)
  • Fossil penguins
  • Vergleichende Osteologie der Pinguine