The deep sea

Squids, fishes, whales, and creatures of the deep. Te Papa holds the largest and most comprehensive collection in the country, and the largest collection of New Zealand fishes anywhere in the world.

Colossal squid
Colossal squid

All you’d want to know about the colossal squid – from its anatomy, to how it was found.
Quiz: New Zealand’s ugliest fish

Quiz: New Zealand’s ugliest fish

There are some bizarre looking fish that live in the depths of New Zealand's waters. Take the quiz and expand your ugly fish knowledge.
Fish on Collections Online

Fish on Collections Online

Te Papa holds New Zealand’s national reference collection of fishes: the National Fish Collection. It is the largest and most comprehensive collection in the country, and it is also the largest collection of New Zealand fishes anywhere in the world.
Hector’s (and Māui) dolphins

Hector’s (and Māui) dolphins

The world’s tiniest marine dolphin lives here in Aotearoa NZ.
Discovering the mola tecta, a new species of sunfish

Discovering the mola tecta, a new species of sunfish

Read the story about how a sunfish washing up on our beaches and lying in our store rooms, has become the first new species of sunfish to be described in 100 years.
Bottlenose dolphin

Bottlenose dolphin

Offshore bottlenose dolphins often hang out in groups with false killer whales.
Marine mammals on Collections Online

Marine mammals on Collections Online

There are over 2000 marine mammal specimens in Te Papa's collection. They consist of skeletal material (articulated and non-articulated), preserved animals or parts thereof, skins, casts and mounts of individual animals.
Caring for our whale bones

Caring for our whale bones

Lots of us care about saving the whales, but not many get as hands-on as technician Stephanie Ho. She’s spent the last nine months caring for whale bones in Te Papa’s collections. It’s a messy, smelly and painstaking job, but it’s protecting these important specimens for the future.
Podcasts about whales: Attitudes, research, first encounters

Podcasts about whales: Attitudes, research, first encounters

Get up close and personal with, and learn about cultural attitudes towards, the whale.
Reassembling bones: How to build a Hector’s dolphin

Reassembling bones: How to build a Hector’s dolphin

Navigating brittle bones and teeth the size of rice, Thomas Schultz, Collection Manager Science, reflects on putting a Hector’s dolphin back together for an exhibition that would tour North America for ten years.
Crabeater seals and their mysterious attraction to the Hutt River (the sequel)

Crabeater seals and their mysterious attraction to the Hutt River (the sequel)

About three years ago, vertebrate curator Colin Miskelly made the ‘rash’ claim that the best bet for seeing a crabeater seal in New Zealand was to visit the mouth of the Hutt River in Wellington Harbour – and wait approximately 25 years.
The Fishes of New Zealand

The Fishes of New Zealand

Explore, discover and identify every known species of New Zealand fish in this encyclopaedic and beautifully illustrated guide.
Sunfish: Dissecting and preserving an ocean giant

Sunfish: Dissecting and preserving an ocean giant

A series of photographs showing our fish scientists carry out research on a 243kg sunfish.
How big is a sunfish?

How big is a sunfish?

Sunfish are the heaviest bony fish species alive today. Find out how large different species grow and how to weigh one.

Share

The deep sea

Colossal squid

Quiz: New Zealand’s ugliest fish

Fish on Collections Online

Hector’s (and Māui) dolphins

Discovering the mola tecta, a new species of sunfish

Bottlenose dolphin

Marine mammals on Collections Online

Caring for our whale bones

Podcasts about whales: Attitudes, research, first encounters

Reassembling bones: How to build a Hector’s dolphin

Crabeater seals and their mysterious attraction to the Hutt River (the sequel)

The Fishes of New Zealand

Sunfish: Dissecting and preserving an ocean giant

How big is a sunfish?