Archaeodyptes

Archaeodyptes (meaning "old diver") is a genus of extinct penguins known from the Paleocene (Thanetian age) Waipara Greensand of New Zealand. The genus contains a single species, Archaeodyptes waitahaorum, known from a partial skeleton including skull bones. It is comparable in size to the modern yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes).^[1]

Archaeodyptes Temporal range: early Late Paleocene (Thanetian), ~59.4–57.6 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Clade:	Austrodyptornithes
Order:	Sphenisciformes
Genus:	†Archaeodyptes Mayr et al., 2025
Species:	†A. waitahaorum
Binomial name
†Archaeodyptes waitahaorum Mayr et al., 2025

Archaeodyptes 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 Daniadyptes, Muriwaimanu, Sequiwaimanu, Waimanu, Waimanutaha, and Waiparadyptes.^[1]