A set of bones in a flat plaster cast on a black background

Fossils and dinosaurs

Te Papa’s collections and research on dinosaur bones, animals, and plant fossils from past geological ages, and the people involved in the discovery of their remains.

A fossil in a piece of rock that is a fern leaf.

Plant fossils in our collection

The herbarium at Te Papa has a collection of around 850 plant fossils from New Zealand and overseas collected by WRB Oliver, Mr HR Thompson, Mr Horace Fyfe, Mr H Hill, Mr M Ongley, and Jean-Claude Stahl among others. Many of these fossils can be seen on Collections Online.

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The first giant petrel fossils

In 2017, Taranaki collector Alastair Johnson found the fossil of a giant petrel. Not only was it a complete skull but it was the first fossil ever found of an intriguing kind of seabird. Two years later, Alastair found part of a wing bone of a giant petrel too. Both fossils are 3 million years old.

Illustration depicting two ducks on a shoreline, with a group of ducks flying above

Big fossil duck discovered in Central Otago

Thu 10 Mar 2022

One of the richest fossil sites in New Zealand has revealed a new species of large, extinct, duck.

Press release He pānui pāpāho

Find out about St Bathans' newest fossil duck on Sciblogs

St Bathans is a Miocene wonderland full of fossils from a different world, including a bone that hadn’t seen the light of day for millions of years. Over on Sciblogs, Nic Rawlence describes finding Catriona’s shelduck.

A drawn illustration of two types of penguins

Ancient colossal penguin bones discovered in Otago

What do you do when you discover what is possibly the largest penguin ever? You name it after your mum. This is what Curator Vertebrates Alan Tennyson did.

a skeleton of a moa propped up on a plinth with a black background

Fossil vertebrate collection

Te Papa's fossil vertebrate collection contains some 50 000 'lots' of fossil bones and is the biggest such collection in the country.

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Martinborough’s cave of bones: How thousands of flightless birds met their end

Fossilised bird grave sites are common in New Zealand, but one particular cave in Martinborough has revealed thousands of bones of flightless birds who plunged to their deaths.

a fossilised tooth on a white background

Iguanodon tooth – Tales from Te Papa episode 12

This fossil iguanodontid tooth is one of the first fossils ever to be recognised as a dinosaur and its discovery contributed to the beginning of dinosaur studies. The latest research suggests that the tooth probably isn’t Iguanodon, but in that related group, an iguanodontid and is 132 to 137 million years old.

Diversity and evolution of New Zealand’s marine mammals

Studying fossils and living marine mammals to elucidate their diversity and evolution through deep time.

The largest shark that ever lived – Megalodon (The Meg) in New Zealand

Curator of Vetebrates Alan Tennyson looks at what we know about the monster that grew to 18 metres and lived in New Zealand's waters - the megalodon 'big tooth' shark (Carcharocles megalodon).

An orange plastic dinosaur that came in a cereal box in the 60s

Is that a dinosaur in my cereal?

This set of plastic dinosaur figurines is part of a larger collection of toys played with by Christine Kiddey in New Zealand in the 1950s and 60s. The figures, from packets of cereal, probably Weetbix or Rice Bubbles, were collected and played with by many New Zealand children.

Another extinct bird: New Zealand’s prehistoric swan

Curator of vertebrates, Alan Tennyson, talks about how New Zealand and the Chatham Islands had their own unique prehistoric swan.

Artist’s impression of Eomonachus belegaerensis

New fossil seal species rewrites history

A fossil discovery in New Zealand has revealed a new species of seal that once called Australasia home. Its presence in our region turns the evolution of southern seals on its head.

Dino DNA? Ancient DNA and Jurassic Park

Can we really get DNA from mosquitos and other creatures preserved in amber?

Female fossil hunters: Mary Ann Mantell, Mary Anning, and Joan Wiffen

Scientist Lara Shepherd looks back at some pioneering female fossil hunters.

An imprint of a bug shape on a grey rock

Discovering New Zealand’s first fossil bug

Inspired by his visit to the exhibition Bug Lab, resident geologist Hamish Campbell recounts finding New Zealand’s first pre-Pleistocene fossil bug.

Fossil Iguanodon Tooth sitting on old stained paper with some writing on it

One of the first fossils in the world to be recognised as dinosaur

This is where Jurassic Park began. Geologist Hamish Campbell and 16-year-old dinosaur fan Eric London talk about the very first fossil to be recognised as 'dinosaur'.

A classical watercolour with two dinosaur-like creatures fighting in the middle of a countryside with a sunset in the background

The country of the Iguanodon

‘Mr Martin was deeply interested in the remains of the Iguanodon, etc. I wish I could induce him to portray the country of the Iguanodon. No other pencil but his should attempt such a subject.’ – Gideon Mantell, obstetrician, geologist and palaeontologist.