Squawkzilla and the Giants
The Canterbury Branch of Royal Society Te Apārangi, in conjunction with the South Canterbury Museum, held a public talk at the Timaru District Council in March.
Dr Paul Scofield (Canterbury Museum) presented an illustrated talk about recent fossil discoveries that shed more light on the amazing creatures that once lived in the South Island. Entitled Squawkzilla and the Giants, Paul talked about discoveries of giant parrots, penguins, crocodiles, land mammals and other creatures that have long since disappeared from our land.
Dr Scofield discussed the discoveries at the Waipara Greensand site in North Canterbury, that included Crossvallia waiparensis, one of the world’s oldest and largest known penguin species from the Paleocene Epoch. He also described the work Canterbury Museum undertakes at a Miocene period site near St Bathans Central Otago, where the giant parrot Heracles inexpectatus was discovered.
Canterbury branch was pleased to welcome over 90 people to this event, some travelling from Oamaru to attend.
This was to be the first of three lectures to be held in Timaru, but with the lockdown, the others planned in April and May had to be postponed.
However, not to be deterred, the branch and the museum have organised another series of lectures for September, October, and November, with three speakers from University of Otago.
It is the partnership with the South Canterbury Museum that allows us access to the council chambers, and promotes the lectures via their database of contacts, that contribute in making these successful.