<p class="title">The fossilised remains of a huge penguin almost the size of an adult human have been found in New Zealand's South Island, scientists announced Wednesday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The giant waddling sea bird stood 1.6 metres (63 inches) high and weighed 80 kilograms, about four times heavier and 40cm taller than the modern Emperor penguin, researchers said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Named "crossvallia waiparensis", it hunted off New Zealand's coast in the Paleocene era, 66-56 million years ago.</p>.<p class="bodytext">An amateur fossil hunter found leg bones belonging to the bird last year and it was confirmed as a new species in research published this week in "Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Canterbury Museum researcher Vanesa De Pietri said it was the second giant penguin from the Paleocene era found in the area.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It further reinforces our theory that penguins attained great size early in their evolution," she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Scientists have previously speculated that the mega-penguins eventually died out due to the emergence of other large marine predators such as seals and toothed whales.</p>.<p class="bodytext">New Zealand is well known for its extinct giant birds, including the flightless moa, which was up to 3.6-metres tall, and Haast's eagle, which had a wingspan of three metres.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Just last week, Canterbury Museum announced the discovery of a prodigious parrot that was one metre tall and lived about 19 million years ago.</p>
<p class="title">The fossilised remains of a huge penguin almost the size of an adult human have been found in New Zealand's South Island, scientists announced Wednesday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The giant waddling sea bird stood 1.6 metres (63 inches) high and weighed 80 kilograms, about four times heavier and 40cm taller than the modern Emperor penguin, researchers said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Named "crossvallia waiparensis", it hunted off New Zealand's coast in the Paleocene era, 66-56 million years ago.</p>.<p class="bodytext">An amateur fossil hunter found leg bones belonging to the bird last year and it was confirmed as a new species in research published this week in "Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Canterbury Museum researcher Vanesa De Pietri said it was the second giant penguin from the Paleocene era found in the area.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It further reinforces our theory that penguins attained great size early in their evolution," she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Scientists have previously speculated that the mega-penguins eventually died out due to the emergence of other large marine predators such as seals and toothed whales.</p>.<p class="bodytext">New Zealand is well known for its extinct giant birds, including the flightless moa, which was up to 3.6-metres tall, and Haast's eagle, which had a wingspan of three metres.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Just last week, Canterbury Museum announced the discovery of a prodigious parrot that was one metre tall and lived about 19 million years ago.</p>