Dinosaurs of New Zealand
Although the evidence is rare, fossils reveal that there were dinosaurs in New Zealand. Possibly because it lacks the right conditions for fossilisation, only fragments of bone and a few vertebrae have been found there.
Because these fossils are only a single bone or a piece of a bone, the dinosaurs' species cannot be identified, but by comparing the fossils with others it can be seen which family or order a given fossil belonged to.
Marine fossils are more common than fossils of land animals in New Zealand because dead animals and plants are easily preserved in sand and mud. Therefore, some fossils of large marine reptiles are nearly complete, and so can be identified to species.
Species
So far, there have been fossils found in New Zealand that have been identified as coming from:
Non-Avian
| Name | Time | Diet | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ankylosaur | Maastrichtian | Herbivore | Probably a Nodosaur similar to Minmi. | |
| Compsognathus-like creature | Tithonian | Carnivore | Known from toe or finger bone. | |
| Hypsilophodont | Maastrichtian | Herbivore | Very large; possibly not a Hypsilophodont but an Iguanodont. | |
| Joan Wiffen's Theropod | Maastrichtian | Carnivore | possibly an Allosaurus similar to an Megalosaurus. | |
| Titanosaur | Maastrichtian | Herbivore | Known from a rib. | |
| Unidentified dinosaur | Early Maastrichtian | Unknown | Known from footprints. Possibly an armoured dinosaur? | |
| Unidentified Theropod | Late Cretaceous | Carnivore | Known from toe bone around the size of the Allosaurus's. | |
There are also structures found near the fossil of the Compsognathus-like creature was found. The structures could possibly be coprolites. If so, it is not improbable that they would have been made by a large dinosaur living in the Late Jurassic at the same time as the first dinosaur to be found in Port Waikato. For the avian dinosaurs of New Zealand, go to the list of birds of New Zealand.
Other Mesozoic Animals
Fossils of other animals from the Mesozoic Era have also been found in New Zealand. All of them lived in the sea aside for the Pterosaur. These creatures include:
| Name | Period | Diet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carsosaurus | Cenomanian | Carnivore | - |
| Ectenosaurus | Cretaceous | Carnivore | - |
| Eidolosaurus | Cretaceous | Carnivore | - |
| Ichthyosaur | Triassic | Carnivore | - |
| Kaiwhekea | Cretaceous | Carnivore | - |
| Komensaurus | Cretaceous | Carnivore | - |
| Liodon | Cretaceous | Carnivore | The maximum length of NZ species is 30 ft. |
| Mauisaurus | Cretaceous | Carnivore | Largest plesiosaur in New Zealand. |
| Moanasaurus | Cretaceous | Carnivore | Largest mosasaur in New Zealand. |
| Mosasaurus flemingi | Cretaceous | Carnivore | Junior synonym of Moanasaurus. |
| Nothosaur | Triassic | Carnivore | - |
| Pontosaurus | Cretaceous | Carnivore | - |
| Prognathodon | Cretaceous | Carnivore | - |
| Pterosaur | Early Cretaceous | Carnivore | Possibly an anhangeurid. |
| Rikkisaurus | Cretaceous | Carnivore | Junior Synonym of Moanasaurus. |
| Saurichthys | Triassic | Carnivore | Prehistoric barracuda. |
| Sphenodon | Mesozoic-Holocene | Carnivore | Extant. |
| Taniwhasaurus | Cretaceous | Carnivore | - |
| Tuarangisaurus | Cretaceous | Carnivore | - |
| Tylosaurus haumuriensis | Cretaceous | Carnivore | Synonym of Taniwhasaurus. |
Dinosaurs that lived in the Ross Dependency, a part of Antarctica within the Realm of New Zealand include the 20 foot long carnosaur Cryolophosaurus, sometimes nicknamed Elvisaurus because of the shape of its head crest. It is important to remember that the Ross Dependency, unlike the Chatham Islands, is not actually part of New Zealand, and this is why it is excluded from the list above until sufficient evidence shows that it entered what was the sector of Gondwana that is now New Zealand. For more dinosaurs of Antarctica, click here.
Tuatara
Tuatara, the common (Māori) name for three species of reptile in the Sphenodon genus, is referred to as a "living dinosaur". From a taxonomic viewpoint this is incorrect. Sphenodon species evolved before dinosaurs emerged and were displaced by them.[1]