Marine Life

  • Introducing Moridilla fifo

    9 Sep 2016

    Moridilla fifo

    Thanks to all the entrants to the Name this Creature competition. Last month, Dr Nerida Wilson announced the winning name on ABC Radio National’s Off Track program: Moridilla fifo.

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    Article
    Western Australian Museum

  • The Coral Compactus

    23 May 2016

    WA Coral Field Guides

    The Coral Compactus: Western Australia Hard Coral Genus Identification Guide Version 2

    Abstract: The intention of this identification guide is to provide coral identification material to support research, monitoring and biodiversity conservation in Western Australia.

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    Article
    Western Australian Museum

  • 6 May 2016

    Discover "Beneath the Waves"

    One 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.

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    Article
    Western Australian Museum

  • Image of the skeletal structure of a fish

    30 Jun 2015

    Collecting and identifying fish

    Curators at the Western Australian Museum are regularly involved in scientific projects that aim to increase our understanding of Western Australian biodiversity and biogeography. In this podcast Curator of Fishes Dr Glenn Moore explains the methods used to collect fishes in order to survey as much of the biodiversity as possible, and his approach to identifying species.

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    Article
    Western Australian Museum

  • #1 This freshwater crayfish belongs to the species Cherax preissi which is usually dark coloured, ranging from brown-black to blue-black.

    9 Mar 2015

    A behind-the-scenes look at our crustacean collection

    Lobsters, 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?

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    Photo Galleries
    Jessica Scholle

  • Baler shell specimens collected in Indonesia; species Melo aethiopica

    23 Feb 2015

    A behind-the-scenes look at our volute collection

    The 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.

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    Photo Galleries
    Jessica Scholle

  • Fossil shell which belongs to the extinct species Miltha hamptonensis

    9 Feb 2015

    A behind-the-scenes look at our Roe Calcarenite fossil collection

    About 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.

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    Photo Galleries
    Jessica Scholle

  • Freshwater crayfish which belongs to the species Cherax preissi, commonly known as Koonac

    11 Apr 2014

    A behind-the-scenes look at our crustacean collection

    This small photo gallery gives a behind-the-scenes look into the crustacean collection. It will be enhanced in the near future with a Smartphone and tablet app that the Western Australian Museum is currently developing. This Smartphone and tablet app will reveal what happens behind-the-scenes at the Museum, explaining the research performed and showcasing our collections.

    The Western Australian Museum is developing a variety of new products for our audiences, and invites you to give your opinion about this app project by answering a short survey:

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    Photo Galleries
    Jessica Scholle

  • Baler shell specimens which belong to the species Melo miltonis

    28 Mar 2014

    A behind-the-scenes look at our volute collection

    This small photo gallery gives a behind-the-scenes look into the volute collection. It will be enhanced in the near future with a Smartphone and tablet app that the Western Australian Museum is currently developing. This Smartphone and tablet app will reveal what happens behind-the-scenes at the Museum, explaining the research performed and showcasing our collections.

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    Photo Galleries
    Jessica Scholle

  • Divers working on a large coral reef

    28 Feb 2014

    Offshore treasures found in WA Museum fieldtrip

    Scientists and researchers led by a team from the Western Australian Museum have made a series of surprising and exciting discoveries in waters nearly 350 kilometres off the Kimberley coast.

    Among them were previously undocumented fauna, species recorded for the first time in Western Australia and, in some cases, Australia.

    The data and specimens collected are being analysed and documented in the Museum’s Welshpool laboratories.

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    News
    Western Australian Museum

  • A soft coral (Dendronephthya sp.) at Cassini Island, 2010.

    20 Sep 2013

    Aquatic Zoology Kimberley fieldtrips 2009-2012

    Western Australian Museum Aquatic Zoology scientists and colleagues from partner agencies (Queensland Museum, Museum Victoria, Herbarium of Western Australia and Curtin University) are setting off on another exciting fieldtrip to the Kimberley and possibly as far north as Ashmore Reef, dependent on the weather. The project has been running since 2008 and this is the second last year of fieldwork. The scientists are documenting the marine biodiversity of the Kimberley, one of the most understudied marine regions of Western Australia.

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    Photo Galleries
    Lintette Umbrello

  • A large, red sea fan from a Kimberley coral reef

    4 Oct 2012

    New survey for award winning Kimberley marine research

    • The most extensive survey of Kimberley marine fauna and flora to date
    • Continuing  research project won the 2011 Premier’s Award for Excellence
    • Eight-year project has so far discovered 79 new species and genera

    The Western Australian Museum will lead a team of researchers to the Kimberley this week to continue an award-winning research project into the region’s unique marine life.

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    News
    Western Australian Museum

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