8 Mar 2011Creature Feature: Tadpole ShrimpJust add water: Tadpole shrimp Triops australiensis (Spencer & Hall, 1895)Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
1 Mar 2011ANCODS - unpacking the final artefactsThe ANCODS Collection consists of artefacts recovered from the four Dutch East India Company ships that sank along the Western Australian coast in the 17th and 18th centuries. The collection is rich and varied including bullion, cargo and building materials, navigational equipment, arms and armament, medical supplies, personal possessions of the crew and passengers, human and animal remains, and artefacts relating to the ships, their sails and rigging.Read more Video Danny Murphy
11 Feb 2011An introduction to fossils at the WA MuseumThis gallery features a small range of fossils from the WA Museum, including Lamniform Sharks, the famous Cundlego Formation from the early Permian period, and the Mcnamaraspis kaprios. Read more Photo Galleries Western Australian Museum
8 Feb 2011Creature Feature: Zebra Mantis ShrimpAll seeing, all knowing: the Zebra Mantis Shrimp Lysiosquillina maculata (Fabricius, 1793)Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
8 Feb 2011Creature Feature: Peacock Mantis ShrimpFight Club: the Peacock Mantis Shrimp Odontodactylus scyllarus (Linneaus, 1758) Mantis Shrimp belong to a group of crustaceans, called stomatopods, only distantly related to shrimps and prawns you would normally see on your dinner plate. They get their common name from the enlarged second limb, referred to as the claw, which is very reminiscent of the front legs of the praying mantis. Much like the praying mantis in your back garden, mantis shrimp also use these limbs for capturing prey, with which they launch lightning fast attacks. Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
15 Dec 2010Tales of Fight or FlightClaire Stevenson Technical Officer, Terrestrial Zoology European settlement and the resulting change in habitat have influenced the diversity of birds in WA’s Southwest. Native and introduced species alike have both thrived, failed to adapt or been brought to the edge of extinction as a result of these changes. Join Claire Stevenson as she looks back at the villains and heroes, victims and survivors and other factors in avian diversity in the Southwest over the last 200 years. Read more Video Danny Murphy
26 Nov 2010Creature Feature: Giant Marine SlaterWestern Australia’s Giant Marine Slater, Bathynomus pelor Bruce, 1986Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
26 Nov 2010Moving Megamouth FeatureOn 22 September 2010 Megamouth III, the WA Museum's extraordinarily rare and valuable megamouth shark, was moved from Perth into a purpose built tank at the WA Museum – Maritime in Fremantle. Moving Megamouth was a massive logistical activity that took over one year to plan. Over 7000 litres of ethanol had to be disposed of, a fragile and priceless specimen had to moved across a city, and extensive and ongoing conservation processes had to be developed. Read more Video Western Australian Museum
26 Nov 2010Moving Megamouth - the timelapseOn 22 September 2010 Megamouth III, the WA Museum's extraordinarily rare and valuable megamouth shark, was moved from Perth into a purpose built tank at the WA Museum – Maritime in Fremantle. Moving Megamouth was a massive logistical activity that took over one year to plan. Over 7000 litres of ethanol had to be disposed of, a fragile and priceless specimen had to moved across a city, and extensive and ongoing conservation processes had to be developed. Read more Video Western Australian Museum
5 Nov 2010Creature Feature: long-eyed swimmer crabPodophthalmus vigil (Fabricius, 1798), the long-eyed swimmer crab. There are approximately 100 species of swimming or paddle crabs in Australian waters, the most familiar being the tasty blue swimmer and mud crabs. The remarkable long-eyed swimmer crab is easily identified by its enormously long eye stalks – a feature not seen in any other species of Australian swimming crab. The long-eyed swimmer crab is found in shallow sandy or muddy areas in tropical regions of the Indo-Pacific, having been found from the Red Sea, South Africa to Japan and Hawaii.Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
26 Oct 2010Marine Life of the Kimberley Region - Day 7When the Western Australian Museum goes exploring and cataloguing the remote waters of the Kimberley region, you can be with us in real time. The ninth video in this series documents the seventh day of the research expedition. In this video Andrew Hosie talks about a unique barnacle which has invaded a blue swimmer crab and is living off the crab's blood supply. Read more Video Danny Murphy
19 Oct 2010Tales of Horny Beetles, Truffles and Gigantic EggsDr Terry Houston Curator of Insects, Terrestrial Zoology Providing food for other animals, recycling dead organic material, controlling plant growth and pollinating flowers are all in a day’s work for the diverse insect world. Fungi also have important ecological roles but often need the assistance of insects to get them where they need to go. Join Dr Terry Houston as he outlines his studies of the truffle-eating ‘earth-borer’ beetles and their surprising biology. Read more Video Danny Murphy