The remains of a giant penguin the size of an adult human have been discovered.

Bizarre on Female First

Bizarre on Female First

Scientists found the fossil in South Island in New Zealand, and it's been revealed the huge sea bird weight 80 kilograms and stood 1.6 metres high - which is 40cm taller and four times heavier than modern Emperor penguins.

According to researchers in this week's Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, an amateur fossil hunter found leg bones last year and the crossvallia waiparensis - which lived off the country's coast during the Paleocene era around 60 million years ago - has been confirmed as a new species.

It's the second giant penguin from the era found in the area, and scientists have previously suggested the mega-birds died out due to large marine predators like whales and seals.