Giant penguin hoax: Difference between revisions
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On April 11, 1988, ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]'' reporter Jan Kirby revealed<ref name="Kirby1988"/> that the penguin hoax had been perpetrated by Tony Signorini and Al Williams, a locally known prankster who died in 1969.<ref name="Tampa Bay Times 2014">{{cite web | title=Two feet from Clearwater's past, father's funny legacy leaves a deep impression | website=Tampa Bay Times | date=2014-01-05 | url=https://tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/two-feet-from-clearwaters-past-fathers-funny-legacy-leaves-a-deep/2159682/ | access-date=2020-05-08}}</ref> Signorini stated they had been inspired by a photograph of [[fossil]]ized dinosaur tracks, and showed the reporter the huge penguin feet made of [[iron]] used in creating the tracks.<ref name="Kirby1988"/> |
On April 11, 1988, ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]'' reporter Jan Kirby revealed<ref name="Kirby1988"/> that the penguin hoax had been perpetrated by Tony Signorini and Al Williams, a locally known prankster who died in 1969.<ref name="Tampa Bay Times 2014">{{cite web | title=Two feet from Clearwater's past, father's funny legacy leaves a deep impression | website=Tampa Bay Times | date=2014-01-05 | url=https://tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/two-feet-from-clearwaters-past-fathers-funny-legacy-leaves-a-deep/2159682/ | access-date=2020-05-08}}</ref> Signorini stated they had been inspired by a photograph of [[fossil]]ized dinosaur tracks, and showed the reporter the huge penguin feet made of [[iron]] used in creating the tracks.<ref name="Kirby1988"/> |
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There were numerous prehistoric [[species]] of gigantic penguins (such as ''[[Pachydyptes ponderosus]]'' and ''[[Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi]]''; see also [[Palaeeudyptinae]]). |
There were numerous prehistoric [[species]] of gigantic penguins (such as ''[[Pachydyptes ponderosus]]'' and ''[[Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi]]''; see also [[Palaeeudyptinae]]). However, actual prehistoric [[megafauna]]l birds only occurred in [[Pacific Ocean|South Pacific]] and [[Cape Horn]] ocean waters. This is known from considerable fossil remains. All such lineages certainly became extinct some 25 [[mya (unit)|mya]] at latest; they were never encountered alive by humans, and just barely were contemporaries of the earliest hominids.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} |
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Actual prehistoric [[megafauna]]l birds only occurred in [[Pacific Ocean|South Pacific]] and [[Cape Horn]] ocean waters. No [[ecological niche]] is known to have existed anywhere{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} which could have ensured their post-[[Paleogene]] survival, as their known habitat and the neighboring regions are known to have been continuously inhabited by other penguin species and similar competitor [[taxa]] ever since. |
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Giant penguins based on the fossil finds also appear in [[Jules Verne]]'s novel ''[[Journey to the Center of the Earth]]'', and in ''[[At the Mountains of Madness]]'' by [[H. P. Lovecraft]]. In the latter case, they are found in a fictitious [[Antarctic]] underground setting and their presence is given a comparatively plausible evolutionary explanation. |
Giant penguins based on the fossil finds also appear in [[Jules Verne]]'s novel ''[[Journey to the Center of the Earth]]'', and in ''[[At the Mountains of Madness]]'' by [[H. P. Lovecraft]]. In the latter case, they are found in a fictitious [[Antarctic]] underground setting and their presence is given a comparatively plausible evolutionary explanation. |
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Revision as of 13:14, 8 May 2020
 | This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. (April 2018) |
The giant penguin is a creature allegedly seen in Florida during the 1940s. The legend has no scientific merit and is at least partly documented to have been a hoax.
History
In 1948, several people reported finding large, three-toed animal tracks at Clearwater Beach in Florida. Later, more tracks were found along the shore of Suwannee River,[1] 40 miles (60 kilometers) from the ocean.
Later that year a giant penguin was allegedly sighted at distance. The huge bird was described as 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall, and having alligator-like feet. During this same period, people in a boat off the Florida gulf coast reported seeing an extremely large penguin-like bird floating on the water.[2] These incidents were reported in several newspapers.[citation needed] Later that year, another huge, penguin-like bird was allegedly seen from an airplane on the banks of the Suwannee River in northern Florida.[2] Cryptozoologist Ivan T. Sanderson declared that the creature was a giant penguin[3][1] that had somehow been driven away from its natural habitat.[citation needed]
On April 11, 1988, St. Petersburg Times reporter Jan Kirby revealed[4] that the penguin hoax had been perpetrated by Tony Signorini and Al Williams, a locally known prankster who died in 1969.[5] Signorini stated they had been inspired by a photograph of fossilized dinosaur tracks, and showed the reporter the huge penguin feet made of iron used in creating the tracks.[4]
There were numerous prehistoric species of gigantic penguins (such as Pachydyptes ponderosus and Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi; see also Palaeeudyptinae). However, actual prehistoric megafaunal birds only occurred in South Pacific and Cape Horn ocean waters. This is known from considerable fossil remains. All such lineages certainly became extinct some 25 mya at latest; they were never encountered alive by humans, and just barely were contemporaries of the earliest hominids.[citation needed]
Giant penguins based on the fossil finds also appear in Jules Verne's novel Journey to the Center of the Earth, and in At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft. In the latter case, they are found in a fictitious Antarctic underground setting and their presence is given a comparatively plausible evolutionary explanation.
References
- ^ a b Jeff Klinkenberg (2006-06-24). "Man, not Beast". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 2008-02-06.
- ^ a b Charlie Carlson. "Charlie Carlson's Strange Florida: A Case of a Giant Penguin Clearwater Beach-1948". Retrieved 2007-07-13.
- ^ Benjamin Radford (2002). "Bigfoot at 50: Evaluating a Half-Century of Bigfoot Evidence". Skeptical Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2007-11-25. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
- ^ a b Jan Kirby (1988-06-11). "Clearwater can relax; monster is unmasked". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1D.
- ^ "Two feet from Clearwater's past, father's funny legacy leaves a deep impression". Tampa Bay Times. 2014-01-05. Retrieved 2020-05-08.