| Daniadyptes Temporal range: early Middle Paleocene (Selandian), ~ | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Austrodyptornithes |
| Order: | Sphenisciformes |
| Genus: | † Daniadyptes Mayr et al., 2025 |
| Species: | †D. primaevus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Daniadyptes primaevus Mayr et al., 2025 | |
Daniadyptes (meaning "Danian diver") is a genus of extinct penguins known from the Paleocene (Selandian age) Waipara Greensand of New Zealand. The genus contains a single species, Daniadyptes primaevus, known from a right humerus and possibly a right tibiotarsus. Phylogenetic analyses place Daniadyptes as the basalmost member of the Sphenisciformes. [1]
Daniadyptes is one of many early-diverging sphenisciforms from the Waipara Greensand, all of which represent some of the oldest known penguins in the fossil record. The other named genera include Archaeodyptes , Muriwaimanu , Sequiwaimanu , Waimanu , Waimanutaha , and Waiparadyptes . [1]
