Findings in title quoted from the linked summary^1 for a journal paper^2 identifying a penguin named in honour of paleontologist Ewan Fordyce.^3

From the linked summary:^1

>New Zealand has been a haven for earthbound birds for eons. The absence of terrestrial predators allowed flightless parrots, kiwis and moas to thrive. Now researchers are adding two prehistoric penguins to this grounded aviary.

>One species is a beefy behemoth that waddled along the New Zealand coastline nearly 60 million years ago. At almost 350 pounds, it weighed as much as an adult gorilla and is the heaviest penguin known to science.

>[The researchers] named the larger penguin Kumimanu (a mashup of the Maori words for “monster” and “bird”) fordycei and named the smaller penguin Petradyptes (“rock diver”) stonehousei.

>By creating 3D models of Kumimanu’s humongous humerus and comparing its size and shape with the flipper bones of prehistoric and modern penguins, the researchers estimate that the “monster bird” weighed a whopping [148.0 kg to 159.7 kg].

From the journal paper:^2

>Recent fossil discoveries from New Zealand have revealed a remarkably diverse assemblage of Paleocene stem group penguins.

>Here, we add to this growing record by describing nine new penguin specimens from the late Paleocene (upper Teurian local stage; 55.5–59.5 Ma) Moeraki Formation of the South Island, New Zealand.

>The largest specimen is assigned to a new species, Kumimanu fordycei n. sp., which may have been the largest penguin ever to have lived.

>Allometric regressions based on humerus length and humerus proximal width of extant penguins yield mean estimates of a live body mass in the range of 148.0 kg (95% CI: 132.5 kg–165.3 kg) and 159.7 kg (95% CI: 142.6 kg–178.8 kg), respectively, for Kumimanu fordycei.

From the University of Otago:^3

>The world’s largest penguin has been named in honour of Emeritus Professor Ewan Fordyce, recognising his enormous contributions to marine vertebrate paleontology.

>[Lead author] Dr Ksepka says he the researchers are “thrilled” to name one species after Emeritus Professor Fordyce in honour of his vast contributions to paleontology in general and to fossil penguins in particular.

^1 The biggest penguin that ever existed was a ‘monster bird’, Jack Tamisiea for the New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023, https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/the-biggest-penguin-that-ever-existed-was-a-monster-bird/

^2 Ksepka D., Field D., Heath T., Pett W., Thomas D., Giovanardi S., & Tennyson A. (2023). Largest-known fossil penguin provides insight into the early evolution of sphenisciform body size and flipper anatomy. Journal of Paleontology, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2022.88

^3 Paleontology powerhouse honoured by former students, University of Otago, 9 Feb. 2023, https://www.otago.ac.nz/social-impact-studio/news/otago0241045.html