Giant seal fossil found in NZ hints they evolved in the south

[Michael Szabo]

Giant seal fossil found in New Zealand hints they evolved in the south

The discovery of an extinct species of monk seal, which lived 3 million years ago, overturns what we previously knew about how seals evolved.

James Rule at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and his colleagues identified the new species while examining fossil specimens that had been found on beaches in South Taranaki, on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island.

Link to New Scientist report: https://www.newscientist.com/article/22 ... z6dRSNA6Ma

Link to paper: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/ ... .2020.2318