A 1.2-meter tarpon-like fossil, discovered in 1999 on Pitt Island, New Zealand, could only be fully studied after the original collector's field notebooks were found in 2025.

Pitt Island, Chatham Islands, New Zealand

Who

Dr. Richard Köhler, Daphne Lee, Ewan Fordyce, Andrew Grebneff, Professor Mike Gottfried, Richard's family, Heidi Lanauze, Hokotehi Moriori Trust

What

When

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 09:17:18 GMT · 2h 51m ago

Where

Pitt Island, Chatham Islands, New Zealand ·

Why

Critical geological information about the exact discovery site was missing after the initial discoverer, Dr. Richard Köhler, passed away.

The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

The discovery of lost field notebooks allowed researchers to scientifically catalogue and publish findings about a significant 55-million-year-old tarpon fossil, enhancing understanding of ancient predatory fish in New Zealand.

Story chain

1 event in this thread

No related history yet - this is the origin event.

Verified Sources & Citations

ScienceDaily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260612032038.htm
HIGH

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