Story: Fossils

Cenozoic vertebrates (3rd of 3)

Cenozoic vertebrates

During the Cenozoic, fish, marine mammals and birds flourished in New Zealand. Clockwise from top left: a flounder; a seal vertebra, Arctocephalus forsteri (1 million years ago [Ma]); the tibia of the moa species Anomalopteryx didiformis, from Mana Island (1 Ma); penguin leg bones (right femur), Palaeeudyptes, from Kāwhia Harbour (30 Ma); and whale teeth, Kekenodon onomata, from the Waitaki Valley (26 Ma).

These fossils are part of the GNS Science National Paleontological Collection.

Using this item

GNS Science
Photograph by Alastair McLean

Permission of GNS Science must be obtained before any use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Hamish Campbell, 'Fossils - Age of mammals – Cenozoic', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/9800/cenozoic-vertebrates (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Hamish Campbell, published 12 Jun 2006