15 Jul 2014How Big Could They GrowThe largest theropod dinosaurs are estimated to have a maximum body size of around 12–13 metres. Almost all fossil dinosaur skeletons are incomplete so their size is estimated by extrapolating from the bones that are found. Torvosaurus is arguably one of the largest Jurassic theropods. Its skull was estimated to be over 1.5 metres long based on a very large jaw bone found in 150-million-year-old rocks from Portugal. This skull is similar in size to the largest carcharodontosaur skull from the mid-Cretaceous and the largest tyrannosaur skull from the Late Cretaceous.Read more Article Danny Murphy
15 Jul 2014Carcharodontosaurus Carcharodontosaurus Image Peter SchoutenRead more Article Danny Murphy
15 Jul 2014Bite MarksFossil bones of Cretaceous dinosaurs sometimes have bite marks inflicted by theropods which can tell us about how these predators fed. Most of these bite marks are the result of kills or scavenging. In rare cases, the attacked dinosaur survived long enough for new bone growth to occur. Bite marks are not only found on the bones of herbivorous species but also on theropod bones. For example, skulls of tyrannosaurs are often found with bite marks inflicted by other tyrannosaurs.Read more Article Danny Murphy
15 Jul 2014Dinosaur Look-a-likesThere is often confusion about what a dinosaur really is. The frequent mention in newspapers of plesiosaurs as ‘aquatic dinosaurs’ and pterosaurs as ‘flying dinosaurs’ highlights this confusion. Although they are both prehistoric reptiles they are only distantly related to dinosaurs. Some even say crocodiles are dinosaurs but these living reptiles are only distant relations as well.Read more Article Danny Murphy
15 Jul 2014From Dinosaur to FossilBacteria are part of the fossilisation process, turning dinosaur bones into stone. Cretaceous dinosaur fossils are mainly found in areas that were flood plains during this time. Dinosaurs often drowned and were buried under the sand and mud (sediment) that spread over the flat landscape during flooding. Once buried, bacteria feeding on the decaying bones changed the chemistry in the surrounding sediment. This caused minerals in the ground water to form crystals within the bones, slowly turning them to stone.Read more Article Danny Murphy
15 Jul 2014Stomach StonesFossilised dinosaur skeletons have been found with stones (gastroliths) in their stomach region. Birds swallow sharp, rough stones that help grind up food in their muscular second stomach, called a gizzard. This ensures they extract as much nutrition from their food as possible. Crocodiles also swallow stones, as did extinct long-necked plesiosaurs, but the function of these stones is unclear. The stones may help with controlling buoyancy but the total weight of stones in these animals is very small relative to the whole weight of the animal.Read more Article Danny Murphy
15 Jul 2014Cretaceous InsectsThe Cretaceous period was a significant time for the evolution of insects. Although many familiar insects such as beetles, flies and cockroaches already existed, the Cretaceous saw the appearance of several new groups that play important roles in the ecology of the world today.Read more Article Danny Murphy
14 Jul 2014Late BloomersFlowering plants, which are so familiar to us today, evolved in the Cretaceous — blooming relatively late in the history of life. The first fossil evidence of flowering plants, called angiosperms, is from the early Cretaceous about 130 million years ago. By the end of the Cretaceous flowering plants had diversified in an explosion of varieties. They ended the reign of the ancient conifers, cycads and ferns in dominating the landscape. This dramatic change in vegetation was one of the most significant moments in the history of life.Read more Article Danny Murphy
14 Jul 2014100,000 visitors to WA Museum’s Dinosaur Discovery exhibitionMore than 100,000 people have visited the Dinosaur Discovery: Lost Creatures of the Cretaceous exhibition at the Western Australian Museum, with the Wallbank family from Subiaco marking this milestone when they arrived at the Museum this morning. Dinosaur Discovery: Lost Creatures of the Cretaceous opened in Perth on April 11, 2014 with the dinosaurs inhabiting specially created Cretaceous era environments at the Museum.Read more News Jane Rosevear
14 Jul 2014Eggs, Nest and EmbryosExtinct non-avian dinosaurs laid eggs like modern birds (avian dinosaurs) do. Large dinosaurs like sauropods (long-necked dinosaurs), hadrosaurs (duck-billed dinosaurs) and therizinosaurs laid spherical eggs, whereas smaller theropods laid elongated ones.Read more Article Danny Murphy
14 Jul 2014Great Southern faces feature in portrait projectSmiling, reflective and proud, the faces of 53 Albany and Katanning residents have joined a Statewide project launched by the Western Australian Museum to celebrate diversity. 'WA Faces' is an online portrait project aimed at showcasing the people of Western Australia and their diverse and multicultural backgrounds.Read more News Jane Rosevear
14 Jul 2014Spectacular sculpture of gentle giant finds true home at Maritime MuseumSituated prominently on the Western Australian Maritime Museum’s balcony looking out to the Indian Ocean, the magnificent glass whale shark sculpture from Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2013 exhibition Transparent Sea has found its permanent home. WA Museum CEO Alec Coles today thanked Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation for donating the sculpture, and said through their generosity visitors to the Museum could appreciate this extraordinary artwork depicting the State’s marine animal emblem.Read more News Jane Rosevear
14 Jul 2014Dinosaur PooDinosaurs feeding habits can be revealed by studying fossil dung called coprolites. Unfortunately, in most cases, coprolites cannot be linked to specific species. However in 1998 scientists described a coprolite weighing more than 7 kilograms from 68–66 million-year-old rocks in central Canada. The dung is packed with broken bone fragments from what appears to be a juvenile hadrosaur. The only theropod dinosaur, known from fossils in that particular area, which was large enough to have produced such a sizeable poo is Tyrannosaurus rex.Read more Article Danny Murphy
20 Jun 2014Pterosaurs fly into the PilbaraDelve into dinosaur discoveries this week when Dr Mikael Siversson, Curator of Palaeontology at the Western Australian Museum, presents four lectures as part of the Museum’s 2014 In the Wild West lecture series, from Thursday 19 to Saturday 21 June. Dinosaurs and other creatures of the Cretaceous greenhouse world explores the world as it was 145-66 million years ago, when pterosaurs the size of planes soared the skies, enormous crocodilians wallowed in waterways and giant dinosaurs roamed the landscape.Read more News Jane Rosevear
15 Jun 2014Science explodes at the WA Museum – GeraldtonPrepare to be surprised, excited and quite possibly blown away when Dr Graham Walker presents two dynamic science shows this Wednesday 18 June at the Western Australian Museum – Geraldton.Read more News Jane Rosevear
12 Jun 2014Afghanistan: Photography by Barat Ali Batoor - a web photo galleryThe Western Australian Museum – Perth presents a selection of Barat Ali Batoor's photography in the free exhibition, Afghanistan: Photography by Barat Ali Batoor. This free exhibition will run alongside Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from 26 July - 16 November 2014. This photo gallery showcases some of this Walkley award winning photographer's work.Read more Photo Galleries Western Australian Museum
5 Jun 20144.5 billion year old meteorites rock the Perth Concert Hall Ancient meteorites that were formed during the birth of our Solar System 4.56 billion years ago will go on display at the Perth Concert Hall this weekend. The meteorites are part of the Western Australian Museum’s Collection and are being displayed to complement the Western Australian Youth Orchestra’s season opening performance of Gustav Holst’s seminal work ‘The Planets’ this Sunday 8 June at 3pm.Read more News Jane Rosevear