It was around the same size as an emperor penguin, but about ten times more awkward. The Waimanu is the oldest known form of penguin, with fossil records dating back to just after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, around 62–60 million years ago.

These ancient penguins lived near the shallow seas off eastern New Zealand where they foraged for food. Although fossil analysis suggests the wing bones of the Waimanu didn’t have the adaptations of modern penguins to truly thrive in the water, they still could dive to catch prey.

Discovered in riverbed sediments of the Waipara Formation in Canterbury, New Zealand in 1980, the name ‘Waimanu’ comes from the Maori word for “waterbird”.

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