Kaiika fossil map
Where fossils of Kaiika have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 56 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 56 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 | 56–48.9 million years ago (Ypresian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Named by | Fordyce and Thomas 2011 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | New Zealand |
| Rock formations | Kauru |
About Kaiika
Kaiika (Māori for "eater of fish") is an extinct genus of basal penguin from Early Eocene (Waipawan-Mangaorapan subage) deposits of South Canterbury, New Zealand. It is known only from a single humerus. It was found in 1998 by Dr Phillip Maxwell, a paleontologist and stratigrapher, from the Kauru Formation of the Canterbury Basin, near the Waihao River. It was first named by Ewan Fordyce and Daniel Thomas in 2011 and the type species is Kaiika maxwelli. Kaiika is one of the oldest penguins known.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Kaiika (revision 1379825878), 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: Q20672200.
