Valuing Australia’s new Gascoyne Marine ParkResearch Projects | Updated 1 years agoThe Aquatic Zoology team is collaborating with CSIRO, Australia's national science agency and Parks Australia to undertake a comprehensive biodiversity survey of one of Australia’s newest marine parks. Established just four years ago, the Gascoyne Marine Park covers 81,766 km2 of marine habitats to the west of Cape Range Peninsula and extends protection from the Ningaloo Marine Parks all the way out to Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone, some 370 km offshore.More information
30 Jun 2021New research discovering new species of fussy barnaclesThree new species have just been described as part of an ongoing research project between the WA Museum and Curtin University, which has been examining the diversity of a symbiotic group of barnacles found embedded in the tissues of sponges. There were approximately 20 named species of sponge-inhabiting barnacles in Australia and this latest publication from the project adds an additional six species to the Australian fauna, including the three new species.Read more Blog entry Andrew Hosie
12 Apr 2019New name for a tropical whip spongeBy Jane Fromont The enigmatic body shape of a tropical whip sponge collected in Western Australia has resulted in the creation of a new family and genus of sponges. The species was first described from Indonesia as Dendrilla lacunosa by Hentschel in 1912 and 100 years later found in abundance in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia during fieldwork funded by the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI). This is where the puzzle begins.Read more Blog entry Andrew Hosie
10 Aug 2018Australia's Diverse Sponge BarnaclesWhen people think of barnacles they normally picture a small, conical shell clinging to rocks at low tide or to ships’ hulls and normally thought of as being a nuisance. What most people don’t realise is that barnacles are crustaceans (so closely related to crabs and shrimps) that have specialised and adapted to almost every marine environment, from the depths of over 5000m to being exposed at low tide for hours a day.Read more Blog entry Andrew Hosie
20 Apr 2018New book on the freshwater fishes of the KimberleyLast night saw the official launch of a new book on the freshwater fishes of the KimberleyRead more Blog entry Lintette Umbrello
13 Apr 2017Creature Feature: Holy Crab! The crucifix crab Charybdis feriata (Linneaus, 1758)This large and colourful species of swimming crab is wide ranging in the tropical Indo-West Pacific from East Africa the Persian Gulf through to Indonesia and Japan, and throughout most of Australia. The crucifix crab lives in shallow sandy or rocky areas. In parts of its range, such as India, the crucifix crab forms a substantial commercial and recreational fishery but in Australia this species is quite rare and isn’t caught in large numbers by Australian crabbers.Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
13 Jul 2016A new species of spider crab in northern AustraliaSpider crabs are members of the superfamily Majoidea. Not your average-looking crab, many of them possess long thin legs (hence their name) and weird body shapes. Majoids are also known as decorator crabs because they camouflage themselves by attaching other organisms, such as seaweeds and sponges, to the spines and hairs on their legs and carapace. One of the largest species of spider crabs found in Australia is from the genus Paranaxia.Read more Blog entry Andrew Hosie
5 May 2016Beneath the WavesOne of the biggest marine biodiversity surveys in the world, led by researchers from the Western Australian Museum, has been turned into an interactive online documentary with multiple layers of learning thanks to production company Periscope Pictures and funding from ScreenWest.Read more Online Exhibition Katherine Jeffries
9 Mar 2015A behind-the-scenes look at our crustacean collectionLobsters, crayfish, rock lobsters, slipper lobsters, blind lobsters… The Crustacean group hosts many species which are very similar in shape. However, they do not all live in the same environments and some of them have very divergent ecologies. This photo gallery shows several species that could be easily mistaken. Would you be able to recognise each crustacean?Read more Photo Galleries Jessica Scholle
23 Feb 2015A behind-the-scenes look at our volute collectionThe common name Volutes refers to the taxonomic family Volutidae, a family of predatory sea snails. These marine gastropod molluscs mostly occur in tropical seas, though some species inhabit the cold polar waters. Of the 200 species of volutes distributed worldwide, around 70 are known from Australia; many of those from Western Australian are endemic, found nowhere else in the world. Their glossy and large shell adorned with attractive patterns make this family very prized in shell collections.Read more Photo Galleries Jessica Scholle
9 Feb 2015A behind-the-scenes look at our Roe Calcarenite fossil collectionAbout 3 million years ago the Leeuwin Current flowed strongly, warming the waters along the south-west Australian coast to such an extent that mangroves flourished and corals grew. This warm sea also supported rich molluscan faunas. Nearly 600 species are known from a thin limestone called the Roe Calcarenite which outcrops on the Roe Plains. Because of their recent age about two-thirds of the species are still living today, although some are now found in warmer waters to the north.Read more Photo Galleries Jessica Scholle