Penguin feet

Paleontology of Birds

HERE is a surprisingly erudite article from the Guardian about the descent of birds (or is it the ascent) with lots of Latin names, references etc. The starting point is the discovery of a penguin fossil foot in New Zealand. 

The editors attempt to make it palatable (as they think) for newspaper readers by headlining it  "Happy feet: why a 61m-year-old penguin foot has researchers dancing for joy". But thankfully that is the extent of their activity.

The new giant penguin fossil foot bones (left) next to those of a modern penguin (right). Photograph: Gerald Mayr