Blog archive: AMRI
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AMRI
When an ancient amphibian fossil met a 12-year-old Palaeo-fan
Arenaerpeton supinatus was a predatory amphibian that lived over 240 million years ago – the fossil of which was found whilst building a retaining wall in 1996. A few months later, this impressive fossil inspired me, a budding 12-year-old palaeontologist.
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AMRI
Six new species of Western Australian trilobites
Six new species of trilobites have been found deep underground in the Canning Basin, Western Australia. Dr Patrick Smith at the Australian Museum and Heidi Allen from Geological Survey of WA tell us how this discovery has reshaped our understanding of ancient life and geological time in the region.
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AMRI
Australia’s dazzling flasher wrasses!
Flasher wrasses are a group of dazzling, colourful little fishes. Of the twenty or so species found globally, three are known to occur in Australia – or so we thought! A new study re-examines this group, and includes a species new to science, named after an Australian Museum superstar.
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AMRI
Can farm dams help support frog conservation?
With the help of tens of thousands of citizen scientists across Australia, scientists from Deakin University and the Australian Museum explored the value of farm dams to frogs and determined what features of dams support more frog species.
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AMRI
The fish that devoured the moon
Public wet markets and trawl surveys unveil a new species of razor wrasse from the Philippines and Western Australia, adding to a group of fishes that live curious lives away from the megadiverse coral reefs.
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AMRI
Faded out: What environments did Australian frog populations disappear from due to disease?
By looking at historical and recent frog records across Australia, including from FrogID, we reveal how Australian frog distributions have changed in response to the introduction of a deadly pathogen.
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AMRI
The ultimate hide & seek champion: Pygmy blue-tongues can stay hidden in flooded burrows
Did you know that endangered pygmy blue-tongues are champions at holding their breath? These lizards can temporarily suspend their breathing for almost 40 minutes in rain flooded burrows. Kim Michael, recipient of the 2022/23 Peter Rankin Trust Fund for Herpetology, tells us more.
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AMRI
Citizen scientists help date fossil sites
Date a Fossil allows you to be a palaeontologist from home! Scientists engaged 271 citizen scientists in the Date a Fossil project, and in doing so, uncovered hundreds of microfossils in a unique iron-rich fossil site located in McGraths Flat, central New South Wales, Australia.
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AMRI
Mammalian milestone reached
A major update to THE reference book for Australian mammals is out now! “Strahan’s Mammals of Australia” provides accessible and up-to-date information on our unique mammal fauna.
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AMRI
Bats, rats and cats – oh my!
To gain a holistic biological and historical picture of an area, both native and introduced species should be studied over time. Recently, our mammalogy team surveyed bats, rats and cats on the Australian Museum-led expedition to Norfolk Island.
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AMRI
Rock-wallabies star in new musical creation
Australia’s rock-wallabies are world famous for their variation. Now, rock-wallabies take centre stage in a major new oratorio: Origins – of the Universe, of Life, of Species, of Humanity.
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AMRI
Hydroides of the World: Book out now!
The first ever fully illustrated guide to Hydroides is out now! This genus of calcareous worms is one of the largest and most ecologically and economically important group of marine invertebrates in the world.
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AMRI
Wonderful Worms around the World: Celebrating International Polychaete Day
Today is International Polychaete Day! On this day, we celebrate polychaetes for their extraordinary diversity, beauty, and the important role they play in marine and estuarine communities.
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AMRI
Our tiny green hitchhiker: Citizen science reveals the frog popping up across eastern Australia
Thousands of people using the FrogID app have helped reveal just how much the Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog (Litoria fallax) is establishing populations outside its native range.
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AMRI
The sea urchins of Sydney
Sydney sea urchins are diverse and live in a variety of habitats – you may find them in rockpools and kelp forests. They are also an important part of what makes our local biodiversity so special. Learn more about these Sydneysiders!
