Penguin fossil the size of a human discovered on Seymour Island, close to Antarctic

SCIENTISTS have uncovered the fossilised remains of a giant penguin that weighed in at a colossal 115kg and was as tall as a human.

Emperor Penguins PLease credit credit Tessa Bickford

WHEN you see them on nature shows waddling over the pack ice, or being tossed about in the rough Antarctic seas, the humble penguin seems locked in a David and Goliath struggle with the elements.

But go back 40 million years and it was a different story.

Back then scientists say a race of mega penguins that weighed in at 115kg and were as tall as people roamed the Earth.

The claim comes after the fossilised remains of a giant penguin were discovered on Seymour Island, just off the Antarctic, by a team from Argentina’s La Plata Museum.

According to the Independent, scientists already knew about the existence of the species, known as Palaeeudyptes klekowskii, but until the discovery of the latest fossil they did not realise the massive size of the creature.

Scientists say the penguin would have been more than 2m from beak tip to toe, or 1.6m tall standing with its beak down. By comparison the largest living species of penguin, the Emperor, grows to around 1.1m.