Crossvallia is an extinct genus of penguins. It includes two species, C. unienwillia and C. waiparensis. Their anatomy suggests that the genus is closely related to the Anthropornithinae.
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Sphenisciformes |
| Family: | Spheniscidae |
| Genus: | †Crossvallia Tambussi et al. 2005 |
| Species | |
| †Crossvallia unienwillia (type) (fossil) †Crossvallia waiparensis (fossil) | |
Taxonomy[]
Order Sphenisciformes
- Family Spheniscidae
- Genus Crossvallia †
- C. unienwillia † Tambussi et al., 2005
- C. waiparensis † Mayr et al., 2019
- Genus Crossvallia †
C. unienwillia was the first of the genus to be described, whose remains were recovered from and named after the Late Paleocene Cross Valley Formation on Seymour Island, Antarctica. It measured about 140 cm (4.6 ft).
In August 2019, a new species of Crossvallia, C. waiparensis, was described based off leg bone fossils from Waipara, New Zealand. It measured about 160 cm (5.2 ft) and weighed around 70–80 kg. It is thought to have lived in the Paleocene 66–56 million years ago, and close relatives of C. waiparensis may have lived in the Antarctic. The fossils were discovered in 2019 by amateur palaeontologist Leigh Love.
Gallery[]
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