Penguin species find

New research has confirmed the existence of two recently extinct species of penguins in the Chatham Islands.

An international team of researchers have sequenced DNA and examined hundreds of prehistoric bones across New Zealand, confirming that a now extinct, unique crested penguin species existed on the Chatham Islands until a few centuries ago.

Lead author of the study, Otago University PhD candidate Theresa Cole, said it was fascinating to understand how and why species evolved. ‘‘We were able to provide a comprehensive framework for exploring these questions about penguins, and demonstrated for the first time that islands may have played a key role in penguin evolution.’’

The existence of the new penguin species had long been suspected by study co-author Alan Tennyson of Te Papa, who had previously examined penguin bones from these islands.

The study also revealed a previously unknown small subspecies of yellow-eyed penguin once existed in the Chathams.

Study authors named the two new penguins Eudyptes warhami and Megadyptes antipodes richdalei in honour of John Warham and Lance Richdale, who carried out pioneering studies on penguins here.