Penguins aren't exactly formidable creatures, are they? Although Emperor penguins can reach up to 4 feet 2 inches, they always seem super friendly and cute. Now imagine a penguin the same height as you. That changes things. Penguins the size of humans... the idea sounds like it comes from science fiction. But it actually just comes from science. It was recently discovered that giant penguins used to exist. We are not kidding.
extinction
Penguins aren't exactly formidable creatures, are they? Although Emperor penguins can reach up to 4 feet 2 inches, they always seem super friendly and cute. Now imagine a penguin the same height as you. That changes things. Penguins the size of humans... the idea sounds like it comes from science fiction. But it actually just comes from science. It was recently discovered that giant penguins used to exist. We are not kidding.
Sometimes, life...finds a way. Cue the Jurassic Park theme song
In all seriousness, this is really incredible. All these animals were so very close to extinction but overcame the odds and now are thriving! Just the kind of uplifting news we need in this world.
Learn more about each species below (commentary by MentalFloss):
Penguins aren't exactly formidable creatures, are they? Although Emperor penguins can reach up to 4 feet 2 inches, they always seem super friendly and cute. Now imagine a penguin the same height as you. That changes things. Penguins the size of humans... the idea sounds like it comes from science fiction. But it actually just comes from science. It was recently discovered that giant penguins used to exist. We are not kidding.
The Spix's macaw, or as most would recognize as the parrot from the animated film Rio, heads the list of first bird extinction confirmed this decade. You can read more of this story at Birdlife.org.
It can seem like the world only began when we were born, but in reality our whole lives are just minuscule dots in history. There have been countless humans before us, and a lot of them did some pretty amazing things. Thinking about the past really puts things into perspective, and I think everyone needs a little wake up call now and then to remember that some pretty crazy stuff went down before we were around. Here's 19 stories from AskReddit about some very cool things humanity has achieved so far. Inspiring.
To learn more about the troubles facing cheetahs and how you can help, click here.
