17 Mar 2017Taxonomist Appreciation Day 19 March 2017The 19th March is Taxonomist Appreciation Day, a day when we say “thank you” for all of the hard work done by taxonomists around the world. Taxonomy is a branch of biology concerned with the classification, description and naming of organisms. With estimates of total species numbers on earth ranging from 8 million to 1 trillion (including mega-diverse groups such as algae and archaea), and only 1.6 million species currently named, there is a lot left to do!Read more Blog entry Lintette Umbrello
1 Feb 2017Untimely cockatoo death reveals important information on local movementsThis female Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso) was banded as a chick in Bungendore Park (Bedfordale) on 4 July 2009 (weight 565 gm at 60 days old) – the band is obvious on her right leg. She was recently found in Carlisle, probably the result of a vehicle strike, and taken to the Darling Range Wildlife Shelter, but died overnight and was handed to Department of Parks and Wildlife who then passed her on to the Western Australian Museum.Read more Blog entry Lintette Umbrello
23 Nov 2016Field work and the thrill of discoveryWorking at a museum involves a lot of time indoors. We spend hours looking down microscopes, reading papers, looking at DNA sequence data and databasing the collections. However, when we do get outside we get to visit some incredibly diverse and striking landscapes, seeking new species from every corner of the State. For many of us, this is why we study biodiversity: we feel drawn to these unexplored places and seek to discover species that have never been seen before.Read more Blog entry Joel Huey
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
12 Jul 2016The Leeuwin Effect – when the Indian Ocean houses Pacific taxaEarlier this year, we published a paper that highlighted a number of information gaps in Indo-Pacific phylogeographic studies (Putting the ‘Indo’ back into the Indo-Pacific: resolving marine phylogeographic gaps- Invert. Syst. 30:867-94). One of the things we discussed was the unusual phenomenon of typically Pacific taxa occurring in the north west of Western Australia (WA) – in the Indian Ocean!Read more Blog entry Genetic Resources
16 Jun 2016New subterranean arachnid described from the PilbaraThe arid zone of Western Australia is a harsh landscape that harbours a surprisingly rich native fauna. To cope with the heat and lack of water, species have adapted in many ways. Perhaps the most extreme method for enduring in this landscape is the colonisation of the subterranean environment. In the caves and interstitial spaces under the surface of the Pilbara, exists a thriving invertebrate fauna, which even includes the enigmatic blind cave eel, Ophisternon sp.Read more Blog entry Joel Huey
16 Jun 2016Western Australian Museum scientists describe new species of arachnid from Barrow Island, Western Australia.Barrow Island is a Class A nature reserve, located approximately 56 km from the mainland of Western Australia. The island shares a geographical affinity with the Pilbara bioregion, with a recent historical connection to the mainland and Cape Range during lower sea levels approximately 8,000 years ago. Despite this recent connection (at least in evolutionary terms), the island harbours many endemic vertebrate species and subspecies (e.g. Barrow Island Euro, Barrow Island Boodie, Barrow Island Black-and-White Fairy Wren).Read more Blog entry Joel Huey
18 Jan 2016The role of DNA in species discoveryTo the surprise of some, most of the earth’s biodiversity remains undiscovered and undescribed. In 2011, Camilo Mora and colleagues calculated there are approximately 8.7 million eukaryotic species on earth (eukaryotes are those organisms that we normally think of, like plants, animals and fungi), and of these, 85% remain undescribed and/or unknown to science.Read more Blog entry Genetic Resources
9 Oct 2015Are you a Western Adventurer? Did you know that the Western Blue Groper is capable of changing its gender? Or that the Australian Sea Lion feeds on cephalopods? If you didn’t, then you should check out the Western Australian Museum’s Western Adventurer.Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
25 Sep 2015Have you discovered Lustre? The Western Australian Museum’s unique exhibition, Lustre: Pearling & Australia, will be displayed at the Maritime Museum until the October 25, so you still have plenty of time to head down to Fremantle and discover the story of pearls and pearling throughout history, with a focus on Western Australia. Pearling was one of the first industries to be established in Australia, and involved a diverse group of cultures, including Aboriginal, Asian and European peoples.Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum