Fossil fish mystery solved by late paleontologist’s recovered notebooks
8 reported
A fossil fish discovered on a remote New Zealand cliff nearly 30 years ago has been fully identified after the original collector’s long-lost field notebooks were recovered. The 1.2-meter fossil, preserved in three-dimensional detail, belonged to an ancient tarpon-like predator that lived about 55 million years ago. The specimen was uncovered in 1999 by Dr. Richard Köhler during an expedition to Pitt Island in the Chatham Islands. Köhler extracted the fossil from a steep cliff section above Waihere Bay using a ladder borrowed from his lodging in Flowerpot Bay. After his death, critical geological information about the discovery site was missing, delaying research. In early 2025, Köhler’s family donated his field notebooks, providing the necessary locality details. The completed study was published in the New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, and the fossil was named Ikawaihere koehleri in honor of Köhler and the discovery location.
What’s reported
The fossil fish was discovered in 1999 by Dr. Richard Köhler on Pitt Island in the Chatham Islands.
The fossil is 1.2 meters long and preserved in three-dimensional detail.
It belonged to a tarpon, a species no longer found in New Zealand waters, and lived about 55 million years ago.
Köhler walked 3km to borrow a ladder to extract the fossil from a steep cliff.
Critical field information was missing after Köhler’s death, delaying the study.
Köhler’s family donated his field notebooks in early 2025, enabling the research to proceed.
The study was published in the New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics.
The fossil was named Ikawaihere koehleri, with approval from Heidi Lanauze and the Hokotehi Moriori Trust.
Key figures
Dr. Richard Köhler: paleontologist who discovered the fossil in 1999
Emeritus Professor Daphne Lee: University of Otago, involved in the study
Professor Ewan Fordyce: late University of Otago professor, co-author on the study
Andrew Grebneff: late fossil preparator
Professor Mike Gottfried: fossil fish specialist from Michigan State University, lead author
Jeffrey H. Robinson: co-author
Heidi Lanauze: acknowledged for approving the fossil name
Hokotehi Moriori Trust: acknowledged for approving the fossil name
Sources: ScienceDaily
