25 Sep 2012Immerse your kids at the Royal Show!Ever wondered what it’d be like to operate an underwater vehicle, see the underwater JIM suit made famous by the James Bond film ‘For Your Eyes Only’, or Immerse your children after a long day of school holiday fun? Come on down to the Resources Pavilion at the Perth Royal Show and find out!Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
19 Sep 2012The Kimberley Diamond Company Ellendale diamond collectionIn November 2011, the Kimberley Diamond Company and private benefactors, donated to the Western Australian Museum, a representative collection of yellow and white diamonds, to a total weight of 38.06 carats, from their operations at Ellendale in the West Kimberley region of Western Australia.Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
4 Sep 2012In the Wild West – September 2012There’s something for everyone in the September Harry Butler Lecture Series: In the Wild West line-up - from wildlife wonderlands, shipwrecks, and a 19th century sword, to DIY treasure care, and dinosaurs.Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
3 Aug 2012In the Wild West in AugustThe August In the Wild West lecture line-up is all about stuffing, spiders and seahorses. Intrigued? Read on, reader!Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
2 Jul 2012In the Wild West - July 2012Another great line-up of In the Wild West lectures is planned for July, kicking off with Dr Bill Humphreys’ ‘Downunder down under: collection in the dark zone’ at the WA Maritime Museum on Friday 6 July at 6pm (Please note, this lecture will now be presented by Dr Mark Harvey, Head of Terrestrial Zoology).Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
28 Jun 2012Whale Shark for LunchMuseums are wonderful places, with collections that are full of history and from time to time real gems and interesting stories pop up among the artefacts and specimens. Among the Western Australian Museum’s large fish collection, we have a few shelves of dry material – mostly skulls, bones and teeth. We recently had a research visitor to the museum working with our Department of Palaeontology: Dr.Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
25 Jun 2012Why freshwater crayfish don’t need milk for healthy bonesTwo curious looking ‘stones’ collected from a dam near Lake Yindarlgooda out in the Goldfields were brought into the Museum by inquisitive members of the public. These mushroom shaped stones are made of calcium carbonate, the main mineral in human bones, coral skeletons and the shells of oysters and abalone.Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
31 May 2012In the Wild West Lecture SeriesThe 2012 Harry Butler Lecture Series: In the Wild West had a fantastic start early last month with the series namesake Dr Harry Butler presenting ‘Museum collectors and carer: one collector’s story’ at the Maritime Museum in Fremantle. The audience received a rare insight into the skills and experience Harry has accrued over his 60 years of field research. Harry will present the lecture in Karratha on July 25, and Albany on November 15 and 16.Read more Blog entry Danny Murphy
24 May 2012What is a Type specimen?Generally, species are described by taxonomists based on a type specimen and the details published in a scientifically recognised publication. The published scientific name and the official description which defines the characteristics of the species are then permanently associated with this type specimen. Type specimens form part of biological collections maintained by museums and universities where they can be accessed by other scientists.Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
18 May 2012Creature Feature – Stephenson’s Mantis ShrimpStephenson’s Mantis Shrimp, Harpiosquilla stephensoni Manning, 1969 Last week this 20 cm long monster was brought into the Museum by a curious member of the public who had managed to collect it while fishing in the Gulf of Carpentaria. With lightning-quick reflexes, frighteningly long, sharp spines and incredible vision this is an animal not to be handled with bare hands!Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum