Curator Vertebrates, Te Papa Tongarewa
I am a curator at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, where I am primarily in charge of the marine mammal collection. In addition, I am an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago (Dunexin, NZ).
My main research interests are the biology and evolution of marine mammals, especially cetaceans (whales and dolphins). I am particularly fond of baleen whales - the largest animals that ever lived. My previous work has focused on reconstructing the baleen whale family tree, the environmental and biological drivers behind cetacean evolution, marine mammal feeding, swimming, and the description of new species. Together with Olivier Lambert and Mark Uhen, I have also written a textbook on whale and dolphin evolution: "Cetacean Paleobiology", published by Wiley Blackwell.
The true origins of the world's smallest and weirdest whale
Jul 11, 2023 06:43 am UTC| Nature
The pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata, is the weirdest whale youve probably never heard of. It is the smallest of the living baleen whales and restricted to the Southern Hemisphere. Its tank-like skeleton is...
Deep impact: grey seals clap underwater to communicate
Feb 04, 2020 12:43 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature
Have you ever clapped your hands to get someones attention? The resulting crack! sound is hard to ignore, rising above and penetrating through any background noise. Now imagine trying to do it underwater you would...
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