What dietary shift occurred in the food web that seemed to favor the evolution of smaller, later penguin species?
Answer
The marine food web shifting to favor smaller, agile hunters exploiting dense swarms of small prey near upwelling zones as the Earth cooled
As the Earth cooled and ice formed, the resulting shift favored smaller penguins capable of exploiting dense schools of small prey, contrasting with *Waimanu*'s presumed niche.
Related Questions
During which geological epoch did the giant flightless bird lineage, *Waimanu*, thrive?How did the size of the best-known *Waimanu* species compare to the modern Emperor Penguin?What structural feature was characteristic of *Waimanu* regarding its locomotion?What components typically form the primary diet of modern penguins, serving as a baseline for *Waimanu* inference?What is the highly probable core diet inferred for *Waimanu* based on its position in evolutionary history?Why might *Waimanu* have specialized in consuming larger prey items compared to modern smaller penguins?What direct fossil evidence confirming the exact menu of *Waimanu* is currently absent from primary discoveries?What characteristic defined the marine environment *Waimanu* inhabited during the Eocene?What dietary shift occurred in the food web that seemed to favor the evolution of smaller, later penguin species?What general descriptor applies to the hunting style of modern penguins, which *Waimanu*'s descendants adopted?