Living nautiluses are the survivors of a large group of shelled molluscs that first appeared in the seas long before the age of dinosaurs, perhaps as far back as 500 million years ago. For this reason and the fact that they show many primitive features, they are today considered ‘living fossils’. Nautilus pompilius. Images by Schmidt Ocean Institute. Nautiluses are related to molluscs such as … Continue reading Living Fossils: Nautiluses
In 1982, a dwarf minke whale was discovered swimming in a small ocean lagoon on Hook Reef in the Whitsundays. At the time, the story of the whale made headlines and recently as Collections Manager at Museum of Tropical Queensland, I provided a recount of the whale’s story. If you missed The Saga of the Minke Whale on Hook Reef you can watch it on … Continue reading It’s a whale of a tale
Queensland has Australia’s greatest biodiversity, characterised especially by some iconic ecosystems recognised internationally as World Heritage Areas and defined by their living and fossil biodiversity. Queensland has 19 of Australia’s 80 terrestrial bioregions, 17 of the 60 marine bioregions, and 5 of the 13 world heritage-listed sites (comprising 36 million hectares). These include the rainforests of the Wet Tropics, coral reefs of the Great Barrier … Continue reading Queensland’s biodiversity
The Queensland Museum Network Blog 