Category: Ancient environments

Ancient environments, dinosaur, fossil

Preparation of ‘Cooper’s’ bones at the Plevna Downs preparation lab

by Joanne Wilkinson, Senior Fossil Preparator and Conservator The Mackenzie family, on their remote South West Queensland property between 2004 and 2006, had discovered a total of six dinosaur sites.  With so many sites to explore, the family invited palaeontologists Dr Scott Hocknull and Alex Cook, and fossil preparator Joanne Wilkinson to assist with the investigation of one of the most interesting sites. It was … Continue reading Preparation of ‘Cooper’s’ bones at the Plevna Downs preparation lab

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Ancient environments, dinosaur, fossil

A most extraordinary day in the preparation laboratory

by Joanne Wilkinson, Senior Fossil Preparator and Conservator As a fossil preparator and conservator, my days are spent in a laboratory using tools and glues to preserve fossil bones. I am often the first to see detailed features and shapes of bones that have spent many millions of years under the earth. A day in the lab is always filled with wonder but what happened … Continue reading A most extraordinary day in the preparation laboratory

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Ancient environments, fossil, Geology, Palaeontology

Finding dinosaur bones… from a plane?

by Joanne Wilkinson, Senior Fossil Preparator and Conservator It sounds crazy but in 1998 that’s exactly what Queensland Museum palaeontologist Ralph Molnar did, with the assistance of Queensland Museum technician, Joanne Wilkinson. They were joined by American palaeontologists, Paul Sereno, an experienced dinosaur hunter, and his student, John Marco. Paul Sereno, Joanne Wilkinson, Jon Marco and Ralph Molnar at Plevna Down lagoon, 1998 Well, of … Continue reading Finding dinosaur bones… from a plane?

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Ancient environments, Conservation, fossil, Geology, In the field, New species, Palaeontology, Queensland Stories, Research

Meet Australotitan, Australia’s largest dinosaur!

By Rochelle Lawrence, Senior Research Assistant, and Scott Hocknull, Senior Curator, Geosciences, Queensland Museum  It is time to meet Australotitan cooperensis, a new species of giant sauropod from Eromanga in southwest Queensland. Australotitan, the ‘Southern Titan of the Cooper’, named from where it was found, has been scientifically described by palaeontologists and staff at Queensland Museum and the Eromanga Natural History Museum. The fossilised skeleton … Continue reading Meet Australotitan, Australia’s largest dinosaur!

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Ancient environments, fossil

Chinchilla Sand fossils

For over 150 years fossils have been collected from a variety of locations all over Queensland and are now stored in Queensland Museum Geosciences collections. In the late 1800’s staff were employed specifically to travel around Queensland and collect objects to build the state collections. Two of these employees were Kendall Broadbent and Patrick Wall who worked for the museum between 1887 and 1900. Kendall … Continue reading Chinchilla Sand fossils

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Ancient environments, Antiquities, Collection

Ancient Egyptian Bread and Beer for World Bread Day

By Dr Brit Asmussen Let’s celebrate World Bread Day with a peek inside the Queensland Museum’s Antiquities collections! Celebrating World Bread Day For millennia, bread has held an important place in many cultures. World Bread Day is an international observance celebrated on October 16 dedicated to this culinary staple, enjoyed by communities around the world and throughout history. Ancient Egyptian bread in the Queensland Museum … Continue reading Ancient Egyptian Bread and Beer for World Bread Day

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Ancient environments, Archaeology, Collection, Queensland Museum

Held within eternal wrappings | Animal mummies in the Queensland Museum collection

Animal mummies in Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a wide variety of animals were mummified. Household pets could be interred with their masters so they could be together in the afterlife; joints of poultry and meat were wrapped in linen and placed in tombs as […]

Continue reading Held within eternal wrappings | Animal mummies in the Queensland Museum collection

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Ancient environments, Geology, Marine Environments, Palaeontology, Queensland Stories, Reptiles & Amphibians

Reconstructing the Kronosaurus

Kronosaurus queenslandicus was the largest predatory reptile to swim the seas of western Queensland 105 million years ago. This icon of the paleontological world is thought to have grown up to 11 metres in length, with around two metres of that dedicated to its unusually large skull, containing a mammoth set of jaws and dozens of enormous teeth. Recently, an opportunity arose for the Queensland … Continue reading Reconstructing the Kronosaurus

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