Fossil Treasures of the Geology Museum

by Daniel B Thomas, Jeffrey H Robinson, and Daphne E Lee

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Tens of thousands of iconic fossils are housed in the collections of the Geology Museum at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago, in Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand. Used for teaching and research for over a century, here we offer a close look at some of the most special fossil treasures in the collections.

Description from LibreTexts.

Publisher
University of Otago
Subjects
Geosciences, Geobiology and Paleobiology
Licence
CC BY-NC 4.0, as LibreTexts states it. Non-commercial use only.
Who can read
Tweens profiles and older, judged from its title and subjects

Contents

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  1. Front Matter
  2. TitlePage
  3. InfoPage
  4. Table of Contents
  5. Licensing
  6. Introduction
  7. Acknowledgements
  8. Acknowledgement of mana whenua
  9. Dedication
  10. About the Authors
  11. 1: Vertebrates- Fish
  12. 1.1: Exceptional mega shark- distant ancestor of Jaws
  13. 1.2: Small-and-tall shark teeth from deep waters
  14. 1.3: Stingrays- opportunities for discovery
  15. 1.4: Ghostly trace of an egg capsule
  16. 1.5: Robinson’s pilchard- the importance of earbones
  17. 1.6: World's oldest whitebait swam in volcanic lake
  18. 1.7: Giant moonfish buried three layers deep
  19. 1.8: Dawn barracouta from Dunedin studied across time
  20. 1.9: A fast-swimming ancient mackerel-like fish from Abbotsford
  21. 1.10: Game fish have ancient history in the South Pacific
  22. 2: Vertebrates- Reptiles
  23. 2.1: Marine reptile from oceans ancient before Zealandia formed
  24. 2.2: Predator lizard discovered in the Waipara Valley
  25. 2.3: Fossil from the Discworld? Giant turtle named for famed author
  26. 2.4: Most complete dinosaur-aged reptile from Aotearoa
  27. 2.5: Crikey! Lake crocodilian from Central Otago
  28. 3: Vertebrates- Seabirds
  29. 3.1: First penguins from 'just after' the big extinction
  30. 3.2: Without this one bone we wouldn't know Maxwell’s penguin ever existed
  31. 3.3: When penguins were giants with spear-like bills
  32. 3.4: Small penguin was forerunner of today's tiny divers
  33. 3.5: Ancient mariner albatross soared over Zealandian oceans
  34. 4: Vertebrates- Marine Mammals
  35. 4.1: Last of the ancient whales- final salute to the old guard
  36. 4.2: Archaic dolphin connects oceans of Zealandia to endangered river resident
  37. 4.3: Dianne's beautiful dolphin had an unusual smile
  38. 4.4: Young hunter from dark age of whale evolution
  39. 4.5: Transitional fossil at the dawn of baleen whales
  40. 4.6: Small origins for baleen whales, the largest animals to ever live
  41. 5: Vertebrates- Curios
  42. 5.1: Dinosaur droppings? A bezoar?
  43. 5.2: Cast collection hallmark of international connections
  44. 6: Invertebrates- Molluscs—Ammonites, Nautiloids, Gastropods and Bivalves
  45. 6.1: Dunedin’s ammonite named for geology great
  46. 6.2: Mystery ammonite from Papatowai needs a name
  47. 6.3: Long extinct relative of 'The Chambered Nautilus’
  48. 6.4: Marine sandstone with turret shells galore
  49. 6.5: Pāua are ancient rocky shore icons
  50. 6.6: One-eared floating scallop
  51. 6.7: Smooth scallop from the ancient Southern Ocean sea floor
  52. 6.8: Carrier shells are snapshots of the sea floor community
  53. 7: Invertebrates- Brachiopods
  54. 7.1: Wing-like brachiopods endemic to a future Zealandia
  55. 7.2: Large brachiopod that easily forms attachments
  56. 7.3: Massive free-lying brachiopod
  57. 7.4: Free-living, unattached brachiopod
  58. 8: Invertebrates- Arthropods
  59. 8.1: Valley of trilobites, our oldest fossils
  60. 8.2: Juvenile armoured trapdoor spider
  61. 8.3: Assembling the food basket- freshwater crayfish are deeply connected to Zealandia
  62. 8.4: Diverse primitive termites are Aotearoa’s lost social insects
  63. 8.5: First beetle named from amber in Aotearoa
  64. 8.6: Hermit crab inside its gastropod home
  65. 8.7: Long-snouted weevils from ancient volcanic fields
  66. 8.8: Tiny scale insects in life position
  67. 8.9: Spectacular crab from Caversham Sandstone
  68. 8.10: Spiny lobster preserves sound-producing structures
  69. 9: Invertebrates- Other Amazing Organisms
  70. 9.1: Floating colonies of 'rock writing'
  71. 9.2: Small boulders of fossil bacteria
  72. 10: 3D models
  73. 10.1: 3D model—Exceptional mega shark- distant ancestor of Jaws
  74. 10.2: 3D model—Ghostly trace of an egg capsule
  75. 10.3: 3D model—Game fish have ancient history in South Pacific
  76. 10.4: 3D model—Marine reptile from oceans ancient before Zealandia formed
  77. 10.5: 3D model—Fossil from the Discworld? Giant turtle named for famed author
  78. 10.6: 3D model—Most complete dinosaur-aged reptile from Aotearoa
  79. 10.7: 3D model—Small penguin was forerunner of today's tiny divers
  80. 10.8: 3D model—Archaic dolphin connects oceans of Zealandia to endangered river resident
  81. 10.9: 3D model—Small origins for baleen whales, the largest animals to ever live
  82. 10.10: 3D model—Mystery ammonite from Papatowai needs a name
  83. 10.11: 3D model—Dunedin’s ammonite named for geology great
  84. 10.12: 3D model—Valley of trilobites, our oldest fossils
  85. Back Matter
  86. Index
  87. Glossary
  88. Detailed Licensing
  89. Versioning History
  90. Fossil Collections Database
  91. Geological Time
  92. Geological Time (table)
  93. Accessibility Information