13 Apr 2018Fresh lizard species out of Western AustraliaFour new species from the Kimberley and Pilbara have been described by teams led by Dr Paul Doughty, our WA Museum Herpetology Curator (reptiles and amphibians). Three new gecko species of the genus Gehyra from the Kimberley region (and one from the Northern territory) were discovered through the work. Detailed genetic analyses were conducted at the Australian National University (ANU), led by Professor Craig Moritz and a morphological study of specimens was carried out at the WA Museum led by Dr Doughty.Read more Blog entry Rebecca Bray
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
12 May 2016Wedge-tailed EagleScientific Name Aquila audax Other names Eaglehawk. Waalitj (Noongar name). Description A huge, very dark eagle with long wedge-shaped tail, long fingered wings and completely feathered legs. Australia’s largest bird of prey and one of the largest eagles in the world.Read more Photo Galleries Western Australian Museum
29 Feb 2016Behind the Scenes: Mammal Gallery DecantThe Mammal Gallery decant from the Western Australian Museum - Perth to the Collections and Research Centre (CRC) at Welshpool has been a huge undertaking for all involved. It allowed Museum staff the opportunity to update records and complete conservation work on the precious specimens. Soula Veyradier, Manager, Western Australian Museum - Perth, said that the decant was a unique opportunity to work with the animals outside their display cases. Read more Photo Galleries Western Australian Museum
25 Jan 2016The Mammal GalleryThe Western Australian Museum are getting ready to build a New Museum for Western Australia, and an initial step in this process is to decant the thousands of specimens and objects from the WA Museum – Perth into safe storage at the Collections and Research Centre (CRC) in Welshpool. This article explores the history and decant of the Mammal Gallery, with insights from Western Australian Museum Mammology Dr Kenny Travouillon.Read more Photo Galleries Western Australian Museum
4 Jan 2016Butterfly Gallery Decant - Cross-Pinning Specimens A short video of Western Australian Museum Entomology Curator Nikolai Tatarnic cross-pinning specimens being decanted from the Butterfly Gallery. These specimens have been displayed in the Butterfly Gallery, Western Australian Museum - Perth, and will be decanted as part of the New Museum Project. To read more about the Butterfly Gallery Decant, click here. Read more Video Western Australian Museum
11 May 2015Explore our Egg CollectionThe Western Australian Museum is home to a large egg collection that has been put together over many years by the Museum's Curator of Ornithology, Ron Johnstone, and others. The egg plates in this gallery are from the Museum's collection and were photographed by Douglas Elford for the Handbook of Western Australian Birds - Volume IRead more Photo Galleries Western Australian Museum
4 May 2015WA Bugs - what to watch out for Western Australia has a diverse array of life that has developed in a stable environment over many millennia. One of the most successful groups is arachnids, many of which look quite scary – but are they really as bad as they look? Keep reading to find out more. Scorpions One group that has benefitted from the harsh Western Australian conditions are scorpions.Read more Blog entry Western Australian Museum
23 Mar 2015A behind-the-scenes look at our stick insect collectionThe Phasmatodea are an order of insects commonly known as stick insects or leaf insects which occur in warmer zones over the world. They are among the best camouflaged creatures in the animal kingdom, mimicking perfectly the leaves, branches and twigs of their surroundings. Their taxonomic classification is quite arduous due to a deficit of reference books in this field of zoology and scientific disputes remain as to their classification.Read more Photo Galleries Jessica Scholle
2 Feb 2015A behind-the-scenes look at our butterfly collectionButterflies are a group of insects which belong to the order Lepidoptera and include about 17,950 species. Of the 400 butterfly species distributed in Australia, approximately half are endemic, found nowhere else in the world.Read more Photo Galleries Jessica Scholle