Fossil Collections Database
The University of Otago Geology Museum holds more than 60,000 catalogued fossils in three main collections: vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. These fossils have been given OU numbers and carefully logged into hand-written catalogue books for more than 100 years. Now, these catalogue books are being digitised into three searchable databases for all to access.
The fossil vertebrate collection
An internationally-significant collection of mostly marine vertebrates, varying from largely complete skeletons to single or partial bones and otoliths. Highlights include Late Cretaceous plesiosaurs and mosasaurs and numerous specimens of whales, dolphins, penguins, turtles, bony fish and sharks of Paleocene to Miocene age.
Access database: the Fossil Vertebrate Collection
The fossil invertebrate collection
Most of the Geology Museum’s 60,000 specimens are marine invertebrates. Of particular note are Ordovician graptolites, Permian, Triassic and Jurassic molluscs and brachiopods, a diversity of Eocene to Miocene foraminifera, corals, crustaceans and echinoderms, and Miocene insects from Foulden Maar and other sites.
Access database: Fossil Invertebrate Collection
The fossil plant collection
A collection of spectacular plant fossils that have been critically important for understanding the evolution of southern landscapes. Fossils especially represent Otago and Southland localities including Pikopiko Fossil Forest, Foulden Maar, Hindon Maar, Newvale Mine, Lake Manuherikia and diatomaceous leaf beds around Ōtepoti Dunedin. The material includes fossil leaves, wood, flowers, fruits, seeds, pollen and fungi.
Access database: Fossil Plant Collection
How to search the databases
Each of the three collections has its own database within the Specify Web Portal. Please see the “Access database” links above to get started.
Search methods
The left hand side of the Specify Web Portal contains the Search Tools. There are two options for searching: Express and Advanced.
Below the ‘Search Tools’ heading are two check boxes. If you tick the Geo Coords box, only records from defined localities (latitude and longitude) will be shown. If you click on the Images box, only records with images will be shown.
Express search
The Express search allows you to enter a single word or number and the search engine will show all Records in the collection that include that word or number.
The word might be the ‘common name’ for:
- an animal (e.g. whale);
- a locality (e.g. Hakataramea);
- a rock formation name (e.g. Kokoamu);
- a rock type (e.g. limestone);
- a geological stage (e.g. Duntroonian);
- the type status (e.g. holotype);
- the name of a researcher (e.g. Fordyce or Lee).
Advanced search
The Advanced search option allows you to be more specific. Clicking on the + symbol opens the column of data fields. On the far left is the name of the field, then a space where you can type a word or number and then a small downward arrow. This arrow gives you several options – it is best to use ‘contains any’.
As an example, if you put ‘Whale’ into the Common name field and ‘Holotype’ into the Type Status field and Duntroonian into the Stage/Age field and hit the Search button (bottom left), the records of holotype specimens of Duntroonian age whales will be shown. Note that the Advanced search is case sensitive, using ‘Holotype’ and ‘Whale’ will work but using ‘holotype’ and ‘whale’ will not work.
Results
The main window of the Specify Web Portal displays the results of your search.
Each numbered line of information is one Record, which includes its catalogue number and information about a specimen or specimens. There is quite a lot of information included on the most important specimens.
If you double-click on a Record (a numbered line on the Results page) a pop up box (Detail) will open to show all the information on that specimen in a more readable format. The Detail box contains two tabs: Images and Map. These display any Images of the specimen and a Map with the locality it was found.
Evidence of life from a past geological age. Remains like bones, shells or wood, or an impression like a footprint, or some other evidence of life, from something that was alive more than 11,700 years ago.
Animals that have bony tissues (e.g. vertebrae, teeth) and are quadroblastic (i.e. four germ-layers: endoderm, mesoderm, ectoderm and neural crest tissue).
Any animal that is not a vertebrate (i.e. does not have a backbone). Examples include sponges, molluscs and echinoderms.
Sometimes called 'earbones', but more correctly termed 'ear stones', these are accumulations of calcium carbonate minerals in the base of the skull of many vertebrates that help to provide a sense of movement and maintain balance.
100.5 to 66 million years ago. The final epoch of the Cretaceous Period.
Any species within Cetacea, however, generally reserved for larger species.
A smaller species within Cetacea, and one that has teeth. The precise taxonomic definition for dolphin is any species within Delphinidae, Platanistidae, Iniidae, Pontoporiidae and Lipotidae. However, dolphin is also used for close extinct relatives of living dolphins that are not included in these families.
Penguins. An order of seabirds with around 20 living species in a single family (Spheniscidae). Many more extinct species of penguin are known compared with the number of living species.
66 to 56 million years ago.
23.03 to 5.33 million years ago.
486.85 to 443.1 Ma million years ago.
298.9 to 251.9 million years ago.
251.9 to 201.4 million years ago.
201.4 to 143.1 million years ago.
The variety of life.
56 to 33.9 million years ago.
