🇳🇿 New Zealand

Platypterygius

162 Ma

Marine reptiles Valid 2 occ.

Prognathodon

101 Ma

Marine reptiles Valid 2 occ.

Plesiosaurus

206 Ma

Marine reptiles Valid 1 occ.

Tuarangisaurus

84 Ma

Marine reptiles Valid 1 occ.

Rare fossil goose rewrites the story of New Zealand's giant birds

bird discovery evolution fossil New Zealand

Scientists have discovered a previously unknown fossil goose that challenges a decades-old theory about the evolution of New Zealand's birds. The find suggests the country's giant flightless geese evolved from much more recent arrivals, revealing a far more dynamic evolutionary history than once believed.

11/07/2026 sciencedaily

Tiny Triassic Reptile Sheds Light on Early Lizard Evolution

evolution New Zealand other reptiles Triassic

Today, lepidosaurs -- the reptile group that includes lizards, snakes and New Zealand’s tuatara -- are among the most diverse vertebrates on Earth, but their earliest evolutionary history remains poorly understood. The post Tiny Triassic Reptile Sheds Light on Early Lizard Evolution appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

10/07/2026 sci-news

The missing notebooks that solved a 55-million-year-old fossil mystery

discovery fish fossil New Zealand predator

A spectacular fossil fish discovered on a remote cliff in New Zealand nearly 30 years ago has finally revealed its full story thanks to an unexpected discovery: the original collector’s long-lost field notebooks. The 1.2-meter fossil, preserved in stunning three-dimensional detail, belonged to an ancient tarpon-like predator that cruised New Zealand waters about 55 million years ago.

12/06/2026 sciencedaily

A million-year-old cave reveals a world that disappeared long before humans arrived

bird bone New Zealand

A cave near Waitomo, New Zealand, has just yielded one of the most unexpected paleontological treasures of recent years. Sixteen fossilized species, including an unknown ancestor of the kākāpō, had been sleeping there for a million years. What these bones tell goes well beyond...

04/06/2026 futura-terre ⚙ traduction auto

In New Zealand, one of the worst known eruptions finally reveals its hidden mechanism

New Zealand study

Around 350,000 years ago, New Zealand was the scene of one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions known. A new study reveals that this cataclysmic event, at the origin of the Whakamaru caldera, would have simultaneously mobilized several magmatic reservoirs,...

01/06/2026 futura-terre ⚙ traduction auto

Episode 172: Rhynchocephalians

New Zealand

Today, there is only one living species of rhynchocephalian: the tuatara of Aotearoa/New Zealand. Despite today’s paucity of species, this was once a diverse group of reptiles, with a wide range of lifestyles from swimming in the ocean to climbing trees. Once highly abundant around the world, reasons for their decline are still debated and [&hellip

05/02/2026 palaeocast

Mosasauridae museum New Zealand

Mosasauridae museum New Zealand

Mosasauridae museum New Zealand

Mosasauridae museum New Zealand

Mosasauridae museum New Zealand

Mosasauridae museum New Zealand

Mosasauridae museum New Zealand