Eudyptula fossil map
Where fossils of Eudyptula have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 3.7 million years ago to the present (Zanclean to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Spheniscidae |
| Named by | Bonaparte 1856 |
| Fossil records | 13 occurrences at 9 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | New Zealand, Australia |
| Rock formations | txn:39710, Hillgrove, Tangahoe |
About Eudyptula
The genus Eudyptula from Ancient Greek εὖ (eû), meaning "well", δύπτης (dúptes), meaning "diver", and Latin -ula, a diminutive suffix, contains a single extant species of penguin, found in southern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands). It is commonly known as the little penguin, little blue penguin, or, in Australia, fairy penguin. In the language of the Māori people of New Zealand, little penguins are known as kororā.
For many years, a white-flippered form of the little penguin found only in North Canterbury, New Zealand was considered either a separate species, Eudyptula albosignata, or just a subspecies, Eudyptula minor albosignata. Analysis of mtDNA revealed that Eudyptula falls instead into two groups: a western one, found along the southern coast of Australia and the Otago region of New Zealand, and another found in the rest of New Zealand. E. novaehollandiae probably arrived in New Zealand from Australia less than 500 years ago, following the local extinction of E. minor in Otago.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Eudyptula (revision 1379516999), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q3021378.
