When Giant Penguins Roamed Florida: 1948

August 27, 2019 7:55 AM

Emperor penguins, the largest penguins living today, stand 48 inches tall. Mere fleas next to their ancient cousins the extinct penguin family Palaeeudyptinae which could grow 6.5 feet tall and weight 253lb. But even these are small compared to the giant penguin roaming clearwater in 1948. Giant footprints were spotted near waterfronts and rivers over a period of years. The giant penguins were sited repeatedly and a naturalists estimated based on the size and spacing of its tracks that the penguin was 15 feet tall and likely weighed 2000 pounds. The tracks stopped appearing in 1957 and "Florida Three Toes" as the penguin was named, did not emerge again until 1988.
posted by If only I had a penguin... (6 comments total)

Related: 'Human-sized penguin' lived in New Zealand.
posted by misteraitch at 8:02 AM on August 27, 2019

That Florida Three Toes/hoax link is gold .
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:25 AM on August 27, 2019 [4 favorites]

I'd like to think that it used to cry, "Tekeli-li!"
posted by kurumi at 8:38 AM on August 27, 2019 [8 favorites]

Also, this breaks this post's four hour record for most eponysterical post.
posted by suetanvil at 8:42 AM on August 27, 2019 [5 favorites]

SASQUAWK!
posted by cenoxo at 9:25 AM on August 27, 2019 [2 favorites]

Carroll Spinney could not be reached for comment.
posted by Quindar Beep at 10:13 AM on August 27, 2019