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Vaquita. Photo Thomas Jefferson

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8th August 2023
Photo: Thomas Jefferson We have welcomed the urgent call by experts to protect the vaquita...
blue whale

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Humpback whale © Christopher Swann

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Long-finned pilot whale

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Ancient relative to modern dolphins found in New Zealand

By Danny Groves | 22nd January 2014

A fossil thought to be part of an ancient relative to modern dolphins has been discovered by scientists in New Zealand.

The dolphin is thought to be a close relation to the ancestors of modern dolphins and toothed whales, and may have roamed waters around New Zealand 19-22 million years ago.

Judging from the size of its skull, experts think the ancient dolphin was about two metres long, similar in size to today’s common dolphin.

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