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Welcome to the Australian Museum website

In this section, find out everything you need to know about visiting the Australian Museum, how to get here and the extraordinary exhibitions on display. Check out the What's On calendar of events, workshops and school holiday programs.
In this section, there's a wealth of information about our collections of scientific specimens and cultural objects. Come and explore what our researchers, curators and education programs have to offer.
In this section, explore all the different ways you can be a part of the Museum's groundbreaking research, as well as come face-to-face with our dedicated staff. Join us, volunteer and be a part of our journey of discovery!

What's On
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Opening Hours: Open Daily 10am - 5pm
Closed Christmas Day
Free General Entry
Where to find us: 1 William Street
Sydney NSW 2010
Australia

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Homepage
Discover & Learn
Animal factsheets
Fishes
Scatophagidae - Scats

Scatophagidae - Scats

Updated

13/04/22

Discover images and fact sheets of the scatophagid fishes on the site. The family includes the butterfishes and scats.

Scatophagidae

2 Fact Sheets in this section

Keywords:

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Drop Bear Distribution Map

Drop Bear

This urban legend focuses on bush walkers having been known to be 'dropped on' by drop bears, resulting in injury including mainly lacerations and occasionally bites.

Identification
Habitat
Danger to humans
Hoax

Science Week 2016

Activities for kids at home

Discover our fun and informative online resources for teaching curious kids about science, nature and culture.

Creative activities
Free mobile Apps

Male brush-tailed rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) at rest

The truth comes out in the end

Genetic analysis of scats (faecal pellets) from a remnant rock-wallaby colony has revealed an unexpected evolutionary history.

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Why we need to collect predator poo

Mob at the Museum Cultural Resident, Kazan Brown, explains how collecting animal scat could be a key to healing Ngurra (Country).

Gidgee Skink, Egernia stokesii.

Gidgee Skink

Gidgee Skink

Crepidosceles glycydora (Turner, 1917).

Australian mallee moths

Australian mallee moths

Kazan Brown, Australian Museum's first Cultural Residency Participant

Mob at the Museum 2024

The Australian Museum is proud to announce Kazan Brown, a senior Gundungurra knowledge holder who will be partnering with the Museum for its inaugural Mob at the Museum: Cultural Residency Program.

2024 Cultural Residency Program

Spotted Scat, Scatophagus argus

Spotted Scat, Scatophagus argus (Linnaeus, 1766)

The Spotted Scat is greenish, brown or silvery to golden on the sides with brown to reddish-brown spots. The species lives in freshwater, inshore and estuarine waters, often in mangrove areas.

Forceps Fish, Forcipiger flavissimus

Find a fish

The table below lists all fish families known from Australian waters. The site contains information on 1487 species in 274 families.

Squid Dissection - WSF

World Science Festival 2016

In early March, our Science Festival team travelled to Brisbane for the World Science Festival Street Science event.

Black-flanked rock wallabies (Petrogale lateralis lateralis)

Remnant rock-wallabies: Genetics informs threatened species management

A recently rediscovered rock-wallaby population posed some real dilemmas for management.

Striped Scat, Selenotoca multifasciata

Striped Scat, Selenotoca multifasciata (Richardson, 1846)

Striped Scat, Selenotoca multifasciata (Richardson, 1846)

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The Australian Museum acknowledges that we operate on the lands, waters and skies of many First Nations Peoples. As Australia's first museum, we share the responsibility of advocating for Country and honouring First Nations Peoples and knowledges. This website may contain names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

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Opening Hours
Open Daily 10am - 5pm
Closed Christmas Day
Free General Entry

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Australia

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The Australian Museum is a New South Wales Government funded cultural institution.

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Photo of two painted shields

The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands.

Image credit: gadigal yilimung (shield) made by Uncle Charles Chicka Madden

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