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Articles by Museum Victoria
Bizarre 26-Million-Year-Old Fossil of “Shark-Whale” Discovered in Australia
Janjucetus dullardi calf and mother. Credit: Artwork by Ruairidh Duncan. Source – Museums Victoria A 26-million-year-old fossil from Victoria has unveiled a small, sharp-toothed whale that sheds new light on the origins of today’s baleen giants. With its large eyes, razor-sharp teeth, and compact body built for hunting, Janjucetus dullardi looked nothing like today’s gentle giants. Yet this newly described ancient whale is among their earliest relatives.
Deep-Sea DNA Breakthrough Reveals Hidden Oceanic “Superhighway”
A global DNA study of brittle stars shows deep-sea species are far more connected than previously known, spanning entire oceans over millennia. Credit: Shutterstock A world-first study conducted by the Museums Victoria Research Institute has discovered that marine life in the cold, dark, and pressurized depths of the ocean is far more globally interconnected than scientists had previously believed.
These Aussie Lizards Have Secret Armor - And Scientists Just Found It
Rosenberg goanna (Varanus rosenbergi WAM R95408) with osteoderms and endoskeleton revealed in the left half. Credit: Roy Ebel Beneath the scales of Australia’s iconic monitor lizards lies a secret no one expected—bony armor hidden in their skin. In a sweeping global study, scientists discovered these structures, called osteoderms, in 29 goanna species, dramatically expanding what we thought we knew about reptile evolution.
New Australian dinosaurs and the oldest megaraptorid fossils in the world
Research published today in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology has unveiled a landmark discovery—fossils of the world's oldest known megaraptorid and the first evidence of carcharodontosaurs in Australia. These finds rewrite the evolutionary history of theropod dinosaurs, uncovering a predator hierarchy unique to Cretaceous Australia.
New Jurassic Fossils Reveal That Our Hearing Evolved From Reptilian Jawbones
New Jurassic Fossils Reveal That Our Hearing Evolved From Reptilian Jawbones By Museum Victoria April 8, 2024 Recent paleontological research has unveiled crucial insights into the evolution of hearing in early mammals, marking a significant advancement in our understanding of mammalian ancestry.
Jurassic shuotheriids reveal earliest dental diversification of mammaliaforms
Paleontologists have presented a new insight into the initial dental variations across mammaliaforms, providing a fresh perspective on the evolutionary past of these ancient beasts. The discovery, involving a team of international researchers including Professor Patricia Vickers-Rich from the Monash University School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, is published in Nature.
New Jurassic fossil findings provide insights into the development of the middle ear in mammals
An international team of paleontologists has made a significant discovery in fossils that offer key information about the evolutionary shift from the jaw joint bones to those of the middle ear in early mammals. The findings published in Nature provide a clearer insight into the evolution of hearing in mammaliaforms. The fossils, from the Jurassic Period, are of two different species: a novel morganucodontan-like species and a pseudotribosphenic shuotheriid species.
New research rewrites our understanding of whale evolution
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New research rewrites our understanding of whale evolution Original
New research from the Museums Victoria Research Institute has turned upside down our previous understanding of the evolution of the largest animals ever––baleen whales. Paleontologists Dr. James Rule (Monash University and Natural History Museum, London) and Dr. Erich Fitzgerald (Museums Victoria Research Institute) have co-authored the open access paper "Giant baleen whales emerged from a cold southern cradle," published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Brooding brittle-star is a global hybrid polyploid swarm
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Frontiers | Corrigendum: Ophiotholia (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea): A little-known deep-sea genus present in polymetallic nodule fields with the description of a new species
Angelina Eichsteller1, 2* Alexander Martynov3 Timothy O'Hara4 Magdalini Christodoulou5 Tatiana Korshunova6 Guadalupe Bribiesca-Contreras7 Pedro Martinez Arbizu1, 2 1Department of Marine Research, Senckenberg am Meer, Germany 2Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences (IBU), Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Germany 3Research Zoological Museum, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia 4Museum Victoria, Australia 5Biology Center, Upper Austria State...
New insights on crinoid (Echinodermata; Crinoidea) bioluminescence
1 Introduction Bioluminescence designates the emission of cold visible light as a result of a natural biochemical reaction from a living organism (Harvey, 1952; Shimomura and Yampolsky, 2019). Two types of systems exist: (i) the luciferase-luciferin system in which two reagents can be isolated: one enzyme called luciferase and one substrate termed luciferin; and (ii) the photoprotein system consisting of a stabilized luciferase and luciferin complex within a protein.
Ophiotholia (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea): a little-known deep-sea genus present in polymetallic nodule fields with the description of a new species
Angelina Eichsteller1, 2*, Alexander Martynov3, Timothy O'Hara4, Magdalini Christodoulou5, Tatiana Korshunova6, Guadalupe Bribiesca-Contreras7 and Pedro M.
Identification of threatened rodent species using infrared and white-flash camera traps
RESEARCH ARTICLE Previous Next Contents Vol 40(2) Phoebe A. Burns A B D , Marissa L. Parrott C , Kevin C. Rowe B and Benjamin L. Phillips A + Author Affiliations - Author Affiliations A School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010. B Sciences Department, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Victoria, 3001. C Wildlife and Conservation Science, Zoos Victoria, Elliott Ave, Parkville, Victoria, 3010. D Corresponding author.
Project to harvest and mill kangaroo grass aims to encourage farmers to adopt native Australian crops
A renowned Aboriginal writer and historian will work with volunteers to process kangaroo grass to prove the commercial value of native Australian crops. In his 2014 book Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe put forward the argument that Aboriginal people were not just hunter-gatherers, but farmers who cultivated native plants prior to white settlement.
Victorian Spiders - spider identification in Victoria, Australia - Spiders in Victoria
Habitat and Biology Wolf spiders are ground-dwelling hunters. Some species shelter in permanent burrows while others are vagrants. In the garden they are often encountered by humans whilst digging or weeding. When disturbed they rapidly run across the ground. When they stop suddenly their colour patterns can make them difficult to see. The egg sac is constructed of white papery silk and is carried around by the female attached to her spinnerets at the rear of the abdomen.
Catch the sun: are you ready for a partial solar eclipse today?
Due to a rare alignment of events, many Australians will today experience a second eclipse this month. A partial solar eclipse will be visible from across Australia later this afternoon, following the total lunar eclipse that was seen two weeks ago, on Tuesday April 15.
Neurocranial anatomy of an enigmatic Early Devonian fish sheds light on early osteichthyan evolution
Thank you for submitting your article "Neurocranial anatomy of an enigmatic Early Devonian fish sheds light on early osteichthyan evolution" for consideration by eLife. Your article has been favorably evaluated by Diethard Tautz (Senior Editor), Min Zhu (Reviewing Editor and Reviewer #1), and two additional reviewers. The reviewers have discussed the reviews with one another and the Reviewing Editor has drafted this decision to help you prepare a revised submission.
Gigantism Precedes Filter Feeding in Baleen Whale Evolution
Llanocetus shares with extant mysticetes the presence of a broad rostrum, typical of both suction and filter feeders [3xMorphological and molecular evidence for a stepwise evolutionary transition from teeth to baleen in mysticete whales. Deméré, T.A., McGowen, M.R., Berta, A., and Gatesy, J. Syst. Biol. ; 57: 15–37 Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (149) | Google ScholarSee all References, 19xMandibular and dental variation and the evolution of suction feeding in Odontoceti. Werth, A.J. J. Mammal.
Defensive tool use in a coconut-carrying octopus
To date, invertebrates have generally been regarded as lacking the cognitive abilities to engage in such sophisticated behaviours.
Northern exposure: fossils of a southern whale found for the first time in the north
Ancient fossils of a whale species thought to be found only in southern waters have been discovered at northern sites in Japan and Italy. The pygmy right whale Caperea marginata is a mystery in almost every regard. It’s the world’s smallest whale (up to 6.5 metres long), the only whale able to see colour, and its skeleton features enormous, overlapping ribs that give it the appearance of a tank. Its evolutionary origins are still hotly debated.
A new Miocene baleen whale from the Peruvian desert
4.1. OverviewThe holotype skeleton (GNHM Fs-098-12) is exceptionally well preserved, articulated and nearly complete (figure 2). The specimen was preserved dorsal side up. Notably absent are an unknown number of caudal and likely also lumbar vertebrae, several phalanges, the right lacrimal and jugal, the hyoid apparatus, both pelves and all chevron bones.
Constructing an Invasion Machine: The Rapid Evolution of a Dispersal-Enhancing Phenotype During the Cane Toad Invasion of Australia
Biological invasions can induce rapid evolutionary change. As cane toads (Rhinella marina) have spread across tropical Australia over an 80-year period, their rate of invasion has increased from around 15 to 60 km per annum. Toads at the invasion front disperse much faster and further than conspecifics from range-core areas, and their offspring inherit that rapid dispersal rate.
De mystérieuses créatures en forme de champignons peuplent les fonds marins
Les scientifiques annoncent rarement qu’ils ont découvert une espèce animale totalement inconnue, qui n’appartient à aucun des principaux groupes : crustacés, insectes, vers, méduses, éponges, vertébrés (auxquels nous appartenons), etc. La présence d’étranges organismes en forme de champignon dans les fonds marins du sud-est australien, à un un kilomètre sous la surface de la mer, a donc fait sensation en 2014. Ces animaux, baptisés Dendrogramma, étaient particulièrement bizarres.
Solved mystery of the deep-sea mushroom just raises new questions
It’s not often scientists suggest they’ve found an entirely new group of animals, something so different that they can’t be considered as belonging to one of the main groups, such as shellfish, insects, worms, jellyfish, sponges, animals with backbones (like us) and so on. So there was a fair bit of excitement when researchers in reported, in 2014, on strange mushroom-shaped organisms living on the deep seafloor, a kilometre under the water surface, off south-eastern Australia.
Dendrogramma is a siphonophore
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New Miocene Fossils and the History of Penguins in Australia
Citation: Park T, Fitzgerald EMG, Gallagher SJ, Tomkins E, Allan T (2016) New Miocene Fossils and the History of Penguins in Australia. PLoS ONE 11(4): e0153915. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0153915 Copyright: © 2016 Park et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Mississippi entomologists report on benefits of neonicotinoid seed treatments on rice
According to researchers from Mississippi State University, rice seeds that are pre-treated with neonicotinoid pesticides yield better than untreated crops and suffer less damage from rice water weevil, the most widely distributed and destructive early-season insect pest of rice in the United States. However, the economic benefits of investing in pre-treated seed depend on the level of insect pressure. The results of their study have been published in the Journal of Economic Entomology.
Victorian Spiders - spider identification in Victoria, Australia - Spiders in Victoria
Habitat and Biology Commonly found around buildings in the corners of window frames and doors, in crevices of brickwork, under eaves, etc. In nature, they are found in holes in tree trunks, crevices in rocks, etc. The distinctive lacy web with funnels is sometimes confused with that of a funnel-web spider, but all species of funnel-web spiders found in Victoria build their retreats at or below ground level.
PLOS ONE: Surface Model and Tomographic Archive of Fossil Primate and Other Mammal Holotype and Paratype Specimens of the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa
Nearly a century of paleontological excavation and analysis from the cave deposits of the Cradle of Humankind UNESCO World Heritage Site in northeastern South Africa underlies much of our understanding of the evolutionary history of hominins, other primates and other mammal lineages in the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene of Africa.
New species discovered: Hog-nose rat
The third new genus described by this group of scientists Museum of Natural Science Curator of Mammals Jake Esselstyn at Louisiana State University and his international collaborators have discovered a new genus and species on a remote, mountainous island in Indonesia. This new discovery is the third new genus described by this group of scientists since 2012, and identifies a rodent with features never seen by the scientific community before.
Copulation in antiarch placoderms and the origin of gnathostome internal fertilization - Nature
Abstract Reproduction in jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes) involves either external or internal fertilization1. It is commonly argued that internal fertilization can evolve from external, but not the reverse. Male copulatory claspers are present in certain placoderms2,3,4, fossil jawed vertebrates retrieved as a paraphyletic segment of the gnathostome stem group in recent studies5,6,7,8.
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