Dinosaur Fossil Map

Dinosaurs found in New Zealand

12 dinosaur fossil finds from 0 genera, coloured by the age of the rocks.

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Age of the rocks252 to 66 million years ago
Group

Shows every find whose age range overlaps the window. To look up one dinosaur, use the search box on the map.

Key
  • Triassic 251.9 to 201.4 million years ago
  • Jurassic 201.4 to 145 million years ago
  • Cretaceous 145 to 66 million years ago
  • Spans two periods The find’s age range straddles a boundary

How to read the dots. Each dot is one find recorded in the Paleobiology Database, coloured by the period of its rocks. Finds marked approximate have only a rough position in the database, so the dot can sit some way from the real site.

Dinosaur fossils in New Zealand

The Paleobiology Database records 12 non-avian dinosaur finds in New Zealand, from 0 genera. The oldest is Theropoda from the Puaroan age, about 150 million years old. The youngest is Theropoda from the Maastrichtian age, as young as about 61.7 million years. Ages are the range the database gives for the rocks, so a find can be tens of millions of years across.

  • 12finds
  • 0genera
  • 150oldest, million years ago
  • 61.7youngest, million years ago

It ranks 53rd of 93 countries on the map by number of finds. The rock formation with the most finds is called Tahora, with 7.

Rock formations with dinosaur finds in New Zealand

FormationFinds
Tahora7
Takatika Grit4
Huriwai Measures1

Other countries to explore

See the sea floor where marine reptiles swam: oceanfloormap.com →

Before you go fossil hunting. A dot shows where a find was recorded, not where you may dig. Many fossil sites are on private or protected land and collecting rules differ by country. Check the rules before collecting and never dig on protected sites.

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