SVP

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DEERFIELD, IL (February 2012) – Penguins are hot today, despite being usually found in the cold.  They've become icons of wildlife as they walked with their Happy Feet into pop-culture.  They've been popular with paleontologist as well, and new finds in New Zealand have shed light on the early fossil members of this intriguing group of birds.

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An international team, centered at Otago University, have found and described two new fossil penguin species, including what may be the tallest penguin to have ever lived.  The findings are revealed in a new article authored by Daniel Ksepka of North Carolina State University, Ewan Fordyce of Otago University and former Otago students Tatsuro Ando and Craig Jones in the latest issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Modern penguins are known for living in the southern hemisphere and having lost their ability to fly.  Instead they use their wings to swim, and waddle up onto land to escape ice-choked seas and to raise their young.  New Zealand has the largest collection of modern penguin species, and the same is true of their fossil relatives.  This recent find helps scientists sort out some of the incredible diversity in these early forms.

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The new species, named Kairuku waitaki and Kairuku grebneffi were part of a diverse penguin community from 27 million years ago.  Kairuku (whose name means 'food diver' in the native New Zealand Maori tongue) is represented by nearly complete skeletons, which allowed scientists to determine that it had a unique form compared to other penguins, fossil or living.  These penguins were slim, with elongate flippers and stout hind limbs.  Based on the nearly complete skeleton, Kairuku grebneffi may have stood 1.3 meters (nearly 5 feet) tall, making it the tallest penguin to have lived.

Says Ksepka, "It is thrilling to see a completely new type of penguin turning up in the fossil record.  Kairuku joins a cadre of extinct forms including the "proto-penguin" Waimanu, spear-billed penguins, and tiny divers. Each new discovery expands our picture of the incredibly diverse radiation of now-extinct penguins – now surpassing 50 species."

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The fossils were actually found years ago, and are only now being described.  "The three key specimens were found serendipitously during field exploration for fossil whales and dolphins between the late 70s and early 90s. That work, and subsequent field study, places New Zealand's Waitaki Region as an important source of southern hemisphere marine vertebrates," said Ewan Fordyce, a Professor of Geology at University of Otago who discovered the penguins and organized the study.

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Fossil penguins have been studied for more than 150 years, going back to Thomas Huxley, and these new finds are some of the best in that entire history, and speak to the reason why we still find these birds so fascinating.  Says Ksepka, "New Zealand is a center of diversity for penguins today, and in the past Zealandia was even more of a penguin paradise. So far, ten different species spanning a large range of shapes and sizes have been discovered in similar aged deposits.  The warm, shallow seaways and isolated coastlines of the time would have been a perfect environment for feeding and nesting."

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ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE VERSIONS

Japanese: http://www.vertpaleo.org/JVP_32_2_Press_Release_Japanese.htm
Spanish: http://www.vertpaleo.org/JVP_32_2_Press_Release_Spanish.htm

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ABOUT THE SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
Founded in 1940 by thirty-four paleontologists, the Society now has more than 2,300 members representing professionals, students, artists, preparators and others interested in Vertebrate Paleontology. It is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes, with the object of advancing the science of vertebrate paleontology.

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (JVP) is the leading journal of professional vertebrate paleontology and the flagship publication of the Society. It was founded in 1980 by Dr. Jiri Zidek and publishes contributions on all aspects of vertebrate paleontology.

For complimentary access to the full article beginning February 29, 2012, visit: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujvp20

The article appears in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32(2) published by Taylor and Francis.

CITATION
Ksepka, D.T., R.E. Fordyce, T. Ando, & C.M. Jones. 2012. NEW FOSSIL PENGUINS (AVES, SPHENISCIFORMES) FROM THE OLIGOCENE OF NEW ZEALAND REVEAL THE SKELETAL PLAN OF STEM PENGUINS. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32(2): 235-254.

Journal Web site: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology: http://www.vertpaleo.org

AUTHOR CONTACT INFORMATION
Daniel T. Ksepka
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, U.S.A.
Phone: +1-973-907-0047
dtksepka@ncsu.edu

Ewan Fordyce
University of Otago
Dunedin, New Zealand
Phone: +64-3-479-7510
ewan.fordyce@stonebow.otago.ac.nz

Tatsuro Ando
Ashoro Museum of Paleontology
Konan 1 cho-me
Ashoro-cho
J-089-3703 JAPAN
Phone: +81-156-25-9100
tatsuro.ando@gmail.com

Craig T. Jones
Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences
PO Box 30368
Lower Hutt
Wellington 5011, New Zealand
Phone: +64-4-570-4858 
c.jones@gns.cri.nz

Other Experts Not Associated with this Study

Stig Walsh
Senior Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology, National Museums Scotland
Phone: +44 (0) 23 9284 3008
s.walsh@nms.ac.uk

Nicholas Pyenson
Curator, Smithsonian Institution
Phone: +1-202-633-1366
pyensonn@si.edu

Julia Clarke
Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
Phone: +1-512-232-7563
julia_clarke@jsg.utexas.edu

Helen James
Curator, Smithsonian Institution
Phone: +1-202-633-0792
jamesh@si.edu

Nathan D. Smith
Postdoctoral Researcher, Field Museum of Natural History,
Phone: +1-319-321-6708
smithnd@uchicago.edu

Anthony Friscia (SVP Media Liaison Committee)
University of California, Los Angeles
Dept. of Integrative Biology and Physiology
Los Angeles, CA USA
Phone: +1-310-206-6011
tonyf@ucla.edu

IMAGES
Image 1: Two Kairuku penguins come ashore, passing a stranded Waipatia dolphin.  Artwork by Chris Gaskin, owner and copyright owner: Geology Museum, University of Otago. Used with permission.

Image 2: Articulated flipper of Kairuku grebneffi with the flipper of extant New Zealand endemic Yellow-Eyed Penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) for comparison.  Photo by R. Ewan Fordyce.

Image 3:  Discovery site of Kairuku grebneffi specimen OU22065. Outcrop of the Kokoamu Greensand along the bank of the Waihao River, South Canterbury, New Zealand.  Dan Ksepka in foreground. Above the unconformity, the Otekaike Limestone is exposed. Photo by R. Ewan Fordyce.

Image 4: Discovery site of Kairuku waitaki holotype.  Outcrop of the Kokoamu Greensand along the bank of the Waihao River, South Canterbury, New Zealand.  Dan Ksepka and Daniel Thomas in foreground. Photo by R. Ewan Fordyce.

Image 5: Dan Ksepka examines a specimen of Kairuku in a display case at the Geology Museum.  The small penguin to the left is an extant Little Blue Penguin (Eudyptula minor). Photo by R. Ewan Fordyce.

Image 6: R. Ewan Fordyce prospects for penguins in the Hakataramea Valley. Photo by Dan Ksepka.

Jesse Arnold Shotwell passed away on February 10, 2012 at age 88. Shotwell was a full professor of Biology at the University of Oregon where he taught Paleontology and served as curator of the Museum of Natural History. Learn more.

Change in SVP Management Association
2012, February 22nd

I am writing to notify you of a change in the association that manages the SVP. In June 2012, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biologists (FASEB) will take over management of the society from the Sherwood Group. The SVP Executive Committee reached this decision after several months of assessing our current levels of service, assessing the Sherwood Group and other management associations, and evaluating the costs and benefits of each management association.

An ad-hoc committee of current and former members of the SVP Executive Committee was formed in the Spring of 2011 to review and assess SVP’s needs in terms of management services. It was decided to seek bids for SVP management, mainly as a matter of due diligence (evaluating the performance of Sherwood in relation to the expense, and determining whether or not we would be served better by a different management association). This was the first time that such an assessment has occurred since Sherwood started to manage SVP in 1999.

The committee invited ten association-management companies, including Sherwood, to submit proposals for SVP management. After reviewing three bids, the committee interviewed two—Sherwood and FASEB—at the SVP meetings in Las Vegas. Various committee chairs also participated in the interviews. We had numerous follow-up communications with both organizations about costs, personnel allocations, specific services, and transition costs.

Our decision to make the transition to FASEB was made with deliberation after a detailed comparison of personnel, services and expenses. We have received good service from the Sherwood Group for more than a decade, and are grateful for the work and commitment of the Sherwood staff. The transition period will involve extra work on the part of many and entail the termination of some long-standing relationships. However, our decision reflects our judgment that SVP will function with great vitality and efficiency with FASEB. The FASEB staff has considerable experience managing a range of scientific organizations, has a robust management structure, has received positive reviews from members of other organizations who have worked with FASEB, and has a cost-effective fee structure. The change will not incur a substantial increase in expenses for SVP, and should entail some new operational efficiencies.

The contracts have been signed, and the transition is underway. By mid-June, most of the daily management of the SVP will transfer from Sherwood to FASEB. This will include membership issues, the website and most committee work not directly involved with the annual meeting. Sherwood and FASEB will both be involved in making the 2012 SVP meeting in Raleigh a success, with the former handling the abstract system, the development of awards, and general management of the meeting. Registration, business and committee meetings, and general SVP management will be handled by FASEB. Both companies are working closely together to make the transition as smooth and seamless as possible.

Your experiences with the day-to-day operations of the society should continue without any noticeable interruptions or changes; however, you will probably encounter minor differences in procedures, addresses and personnel as the transition progresses. And we hope you will personally join us in Raleigh to acknowledge and thank personnel of Sherwood for their long years of service to your Society, and to welcome key staff of FASEB who will be responsible for carrying us forward in the future.

With best wishes,
Philip J. Currie, President

The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology is now accepting abstracts for the SVP 72nd Annual Meeting, October 17-20, 2012 in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Learn more.

We also encourage you to apply, or nominate a worthy colleague, for an SVP award, prize or grant.  Learn more.

5th International Symposium on Dinosaur Eggs and Babies, September 14-20, 2012

The Zhejiang Museum of Natural History in HangZhou, China, will be hosting the 5th International Symposium on Dinosaur Eggs and Babies on September 14–20, 2012. The symposium will include platform presentations, posters, a one-day pre-meeting field trip and  a two-day post meeting field trip. For details, including registration materials and information on abstract submissions, contact Li Xiuti at leetiti@163.com or Jin Xingsheng at omeisaurus@hotmail.com.

November 28, 2011

On behalf of Japan Specimen Rescue, thank you for your support of Japanese museums damaged by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.  Japan Specimen Rescue is a long-term project to recover specimens from museums damaged in the affected area.  Recently, Japanese participants at the 71st Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology presented the situation in Japan to the SVP membership and received an overwhelming response to our plight.  We would like to express our deepest gratitude to SVP members and to the Society. Through your generosity and warm support, we were able to raise more than $7000 at the meeting.

We pledge to all of our supporters that the fund will be properly used for museums in Japan affected by the earthquake and tsunami. We also consider it our responsibility to present up-to-date status reports of Japan Specimen Rescue at future SVP meetings and on the SVP website.

We hope that the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology and paleontological communities will continue to watch over affected museums fondly. 

Tomoyuki Ohashi
Yuri Kimura

By Olga Potapova, Gennady Boeskorov, Albert Protopopov, Daniel Fisher, and Eugene Maschenko

Dr. Piotr Alexeievich Lazarev, Director of the Mammoth Museum in Yakutsk, Yakutia, Russia, passed away on October 23 at the age of 75. Piotr was known to Russian paleontologists as a student and follower of Dr. Prof. Nikolai Vereshchagin.

Piotr was born March 18, 1936 in the Yuner Olokh village of the Namskii District of Yakutia. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in Moscow State University, later selecting the Geography Department for his MS degree. Starting in 1959, he worked at the Laboratory of Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology within the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Geology in Yakutsk, where he focused on studies of Pleistocene fauna. As a PhD student of Prof. Nikolai Vereschagin, Dr. Piotr Lazarev studied the Pleistocene horses of Yakutia and in 1974 defended his dissertation. Later, a thorough study of the frozen carcass of the Selerikan horse allowed Dr. Lazarev and Prof. Vereschagin to recognize the Pleistocene horse Equus caballus lenensis Russanov as a separate species, E. lenensis, which was subsequently discovered in vast regions of northern Siberia (Vereschagin & Lazarev, 1977).

In 2005 Dr. Piotr Lazarev defended his doctoral (second degree) dissertation “Large Mammals in the Anthropogene of Yakutia.” His knowledge and leadership allowed him to organize a scientific group devoted to studies of the rich Pleistocene deposits in Yakutia and make a significant paleontological collection of mammals. This collection (which comprises now over 7,000 specimens) was incorporated by him into the “Archeo-Paleontological Collection Museum of Northeast Asia” in Yakutsk, which was opened for the 1982 INQUA Annual Meeting.

Dr. Piotr Lazarev was an avid collector and an experienced field organizer and worker. Despite his diminutive physical stature, he was considered by his colleagues to be a giant of Yakutian paleontology.  He was a generous collaborator, recognizing that permafrost specimens preserving soft tissues as well as osteological material required a wide range of analyses to be studied to best advantage.  During his last three decades he organized and participated in numerous paleontological expeditions to permafrost regions of Siberia and excavated paleontological sites and unique specimens, including the Berelekh mammoth graveyard, the Shandrin mammoth, the Akan, Abyi and Allaikha mammoths, the Malykhchanskii steppe bison, the Selerikan horse, the skeleton of the Churapcha woolly rhinoceros and even fossil remains of the Greenland whale. In 2010, he led an expedition to the new site of Batagai, in northern Yakutia, where rapidly melting permafrost had yielded several dramatic specimens.  Here he descended steep slopes into a treacherous sinkhole, keeping up with colleagues one-third his age. 

The skeleton of the Tirekhtyakh mammoth that was excavated by Dr. Lazarev and mounted with his consultation in 1974 was the first mounted mammoth skeleton to be viewed by the local public in the State Museum of History and Culture of the North in Yakutsk.

Due to the leadership and initiative of Dr. Lazarev, the Mammoth Museum was founded in Yakutsk in 1991, and Dr. Lazarev was appointed as its first director. The Museum, as a part of the Institute of Applied Ecology of the North (since 2011, a part of the Northeastern Federal University) became a scientific and cultural center of the region. Within its first the Museum became internationally recognized by excavations, studies, and storage of over 2,000 fossil specimens of large mammoth fauna of northeastern Siberia (woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, Pleistocene horse, steppe bison, Pleistocene musk-ox, Pleistocene saiga, Pleistocene moose, reindeer, cave lion, etc.). Among those are such unique specimens as the Churapcha mammoth, the Yukagir mammoth, a star of the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan, and the Maksunuokh mammoth. Other remarkable Pleistocene specimens include the baby mammoth Khroma, the Kolyma woolly rhinoceros, and Pleistocene horse and steppe bison specimens that have just begun to be investigated. The Oimyakon mammoth and the baby mammoth Khroma were displayed for the first time internationally in conjunction with the Vth International Conference on Mammoths and their Relatives, in Le Puy-en-Velay, France in 2010.

Since the 80s Dr. Lazarev was an organizer and participant of several international exhibits, including “All about Mammoths”, shown in seven major cities of Japan, and mammoth exhibits in Germany, France and Korea. Since 1995, Dr. Lazarev became a vice-president of Russian Mammoth Committee after serving it as a Committee member since 1970.  In 2007 he was a co-organizer and a host to the 4th International Mammoth Conference in Yakutsk (Sakha Republic, Russia). Due to Dr. Lazarev’s efforts and enthusiasm working with the state officials on the organization of the Conference, state funding was awarded for most of the Conference events.

 The author and co-author of over 150 publications (including 16 monographs/books) on geology and paleontology of the Pleistocene in Siberia, Dr. Lazarev traveled abroad sharing his expertise and knowledge through research presentations in Canada, Japan, Korea, France and Germany.  He also was loved by the local public – he often was consulted by visitors to “his” Museum, and was frequently invited to local TV and radio stations for interviews and commentary on recent research.

 The scientific work of Dr. Lazarev was recognized by his country:  among his state titles, he was an Honorary Scientist of the Yakutian (Sakha) Republic and an Honorary Worker in Science and Technology of the Russian Federation (2011). In 2007 he became a state Prize-Winner in Science and Technology of the Yakutian (Sakha) Republic. Since 1992 Dr. Lazarev was a member of the Russian Committee of the International Museum Council of UNESCO. 

Last summer, just months before his death, Dr. Piotr Lazarev participated in an expedition to northern Yakutia as a member of the scientific team to study a newly discovered young mammoth nicknamed Yuka. It was his last expedition to “hunt” his favorite mammoths… Dr. Piotr Lazarev will always be remembered as a spirited contributor to our knowledge of the Pleistocene fauna of the mammoth steppe.

Photo courtesy of Randall Hyman.