An whale fossil found in the 1980s in South Canterbury has been identified by University of Otago palentologists as a new species of ancient whale going "almost halfway back to the dinosaurs."

It's been described as a previously unknown genus of baleen whale, that was alive more than 27.5 million years ago.

The fossil was recovered in the Hakataramea Valley in Canterbury in January 1988, but was only worked up in recent years.



University of Otago palaeontologists have named the new genus Toipahautea waitaki, which translates from Māori to baleen-origin whale from the Waitaki region.

Professor Ewan Fordyce says the discovery is significant in New Zealand's fossil history.

"This is a pretty old whale that goes almost half-way back to the age of the dinosaurs. We are tracking whale history back through time."

"This newly-named whale lived about 27.5 million years ago. It's about as old a common ancestor as we have for the living baleen whales like the minke whales and the right whales."

The research paper announcing the new archaic baleen whale is published in the scientific journal, Royal Society Open Science.