Kairuku fossil map
Where fossils of Kairuku have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 30 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 30 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 | 39.1–23.04 million years ago (Bartonian to Chattian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Named by | Ksepka et al. 2012 |
| Fossil records | 10 occurrences at 10 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | New Zealand |
| Rock formations | Kokoamu Greensand, Glen Massey, Red Bluff Tuff, Otekaike Limestone |
About Kairuku
Kairuku is an extinct genus of penguin. It contains three species, K. grebneffi, K. waitaki and K. waewaeroa. This taxon is known from bones from 27 MYA (late Oligocene), from the Kokoamu Greensand Formation of New Zealand. It was historically referred to as Palaeeudyptes.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Kairuku (revision 1379833269), 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: Q2247912.
