There’s a fascinating story behind the discovery of the world’s biggest dinosaur. It begins in 2012 with a man and his dog, tracking down a herd of lost sheep on his ranch in the Chebut Province of Patagonia. After searching for many hours, he and his trusty sheepdog finally found the herd, but that wasn’t the only discovery of the day. He also spotted … Continue reading Digging up a giant dinosaur
Thousands of visitors to Queensland Museum have now discovered the sixteen full-scale dinosaur skeletons on display in Dinosaurs of Patagonia, however it can come as a surprise to some of our guests that these displays are not the actual fossils assembled into standing structures. The process of discovering, preparing and assembling dinosaur bones is not as simple as it may seem. Here, we will dig … Continue reading Know your dinosaur bones
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?
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!
From the depths of the ocean to Queensland Museum, discover the secrets of the monsters from the deep with Sea Monsters: Prehistoric Ocean Predators. Presenting the profiles of the three giant marine reptiles that ruled the sea. Ichthyosaur Ichthyosaur (pronounced ick-thee-o-sore) remains the original marine reptile or “sea lizard” as they’re often referred to, marking their reign of the ocean for nearly 150 million years. … Continue reading The reign of the reptiles: Meet the monsters
By Rochelle Lawrence, Palaeontological Research Assistant, and Scott Hocknull, Senior Curator, Geosciences, Queensland Museum The giant kangaroo tibia (shinbone) found at the megafauna fossil sites of South Walker Creek, travelled safely back to the Queensland Museum’s Geosciences collection. The specimen is treated like evidence for a case (fossil evidence!) and is processed through a series of stages from field collection (Part 1) and preparation, to … Continue reading Discovering the world’s largest kangaroo – Part 2: In the lab
By Rochelle Lawrence, Palaeontological Research Assistant, and Scott Hocknull, Senior Curator, Geosciences, Queensland Museum As the weather begins to cool, the ‘dig’ season starts for us (palaeontologists) as we venture off along the coast and into the outback heart of Queensland. Over the last ten years we have been investigating a series of fossil sites at South Walker Creek located near the town of Nebo, … Continue reading Discovering the world’s largest kangaroo- Part 1: In the field
By Rochelle Lawrence, Palaeontological Research Assistant, and Scott Hocknull, Senior Curator, Geosciences, Queensland Museum In 2008, an extraordinary discovery was made at South Walker Creek, located near the town of Nebo, west of Mackay in Queensland, Australia. Traditional owners of the area, the Barada Barna people, were conducting a cultural heritage survey for the South Walker Creek Mine when they came across some interesting bones. … Continue reading A Crime scene of the past – investigating tropical ice age megafauna
By Rochelle Lawrence, Palaeontological Research Assistant, and Scott Hocknull, Senior Curator, Geosciences, Queensland Museum. Megafauna are giant animals usually weighing over 44 kilograms (kg). Most megafauna are now extinct (no longer exist) and were closely related to living species of animals we see today. You have probably heard of the more commonly known megafauna species, like the saber-toothed cat and woolly mammoth from North America. … Continue reading What are megafauna?
To celebrate National Dinosaur Day on 7 May 2020, we are excited to share with you a look at some 3D models of Australia’s favourite dinosaurs that our team of palaeontologists have been working on. Here’s a special message from Dr Scott Hocknull showcasing Australia’s most iconic dinosaur Muttaburrsaurus. Rhoetosaurus brownei Take a close up look at Australia’s most complete Jurassic dinosaur – Rhoetosaurus … Continue reading Australia’s favourite dinosaurs in 3D
Dicynodonts were a group of plant eating stem-mammals (often called mammal-like reptiles), which with their toothless beaks and tusks looked a bit like a mix between a hippo and a tortoise, without the shell. These animals were the most diverse and abundant herbivores in the second half of the Permian and during the Triassic periods, around 270 and 201 million years ago, after which they … Continue reading The last dicynodont? A 100 year old fossil mystery with bite
We celebrate the achievements of women, known and unknown, remembered and forgotten, who have forged the way for those of us in science today, and to give an opportunity for children: girls and boys, to choose role models in science – Princess Nisreen El-Hashemite, BSc MSc MD PhD This coming 11 February is International Day of Women and Girls in Science and to celebrate we’re … Continue reading Celebrating women in science
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
Scott Hocknull (far left), Senior Curator, Vertebrate Palaeontologist was recently invited by BHP Billiton Mitsui Coal (BMC) to speak at an employee engagement event its mine site in central Queensland.
Continue reading “Rocks & Replicas”
Ever wondered what it’s like to dig up a dinosaur bone? Or how we store all the incredible fossils in our collection? Or how our palaeontologists conduct research into some of Queensland’s most famous fossil finds
Continue reading “Bringing Queensland’s Lost Creatures to life”
Written by: Yen Trinh, Experience Design Manager
For the past 10 months, we have been working on the upcoming Lost Creatures exhibition.
Queensland Museum Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.