• Banana blood worms invade the deep sea

    Blood worms occur in estuarine areas and are commonly used for bait by recreational fishers all around the world. In a world first, three new species of blood worm have been found in deep sea sunken vegetation, off the coast of Papua New Guinea. So how did these species evolve?

    AMRI
    Marphysa banana, anterior end. lateral view.
  • Our time at sea: Discovering the biodiversity of the Indian Ocean Territories

    A team of scientists from the Australian Museum, CSIRO, Museums Victoria Research Institute and Western Australian Museum have recently completed their voyage on CSIRO’s research vessel (RV) Investigator. Find out how this expedition helped uncover secrets of the deep seamounts of the IOT.

    AMRI
    Team of scientists from AMRI.
  • Out now! New book to identify abundant, diverse and striking decapod crustaceans

    Crabs, lobsters and prawns are familiar to most people as seafood but are also very important at all steps in the food chain. Few realise just how many different types there are and how difficult it can be to identify them. A newly published book with provides tools for the task!

    AMRI
    Galathea magnifica.
  • Catching prawns in the abyss

    The deep sea is the most common habitat on our planet – but we know more about the moon than our own ocean. Dr Penny Berents, Senior Fellow at the Australian Museum, who was recently onboard the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator, delves into the complexities of sampling in the deep sea.

    AMRI
    The many marine invertebrates found on the RV Investigator
  • A picture is worth a thousand words

    Photos and videos are a powerful tool when documenting the natural world where often, there is an awful lot to say. But once we capture the moment, how do we use images effectively for science? And why should we collect them?

    AMRI
    Leopard caught on camera at a sanctuary in South Africa.
  • An Australian origin story? Turning mammalian theory on its head

    It has long been asserted that ancestors of the placental and marsupial mammals originated in the northern hemisphere – but a new study by Prof Tim Flannery and Prof Kris Helgen at the Australian Museum has rewritten the origin story of modern mammals.

    AMRI
    Professor Kris Helgen and Professor Tim Flannery studying various mammal specimens.
  • News from LIRS: Big coral spawning event in 2022

    Each month, a selected blog from the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) is featured at the Australian Museum. LIRRF supports scientific research and education at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. This month, we feature: Big coral spawning event in 2022.

    AMRI
    Big coral spawning event in 2022
  • FrogID, Atlassian Foundation and Engage4Good

    The Australian Museum collaborated with Atlassian Foundation through the Engage4Good program, a program designed to connect subject matter experts with a real-world challenge.

    AMRI
    FrogID Sydney Launch
  • Meet Kai the Fish Guy: Australian Museum's Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellow

    The Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellowship provides a recent PhD graduate an opportunity to establish a career in biodiversity research. Dr Yi-Kai Tea is our newly appointed Fellow in the AM's Ichthyology division – we sat down with Kai to hear about his first few months, and future plans.

    AMRI
    Yi-Kai Tea onboard the CSIRO RV Investigator voyage
  • Home sweet home: the creatures of ancient underwater volcanoes

    PhD student, Beth Flaxman, who was recently onboard the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator, sampled the mysterious creatures of the deep sea. Find out more about how scientists sampled these creatures that call ancient underwater volcanoes home.

    AMRI
    Bathymetry of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands seamount
  • How do you weigh an extinct amphibian?

    Estimating the mass of a long-extinct animal is a challenging endeavour – and there is often no “one best method” of doing so. But Australian Museum, UNSW and UNE scientists have just helped us answer the question, in a newly published case study: how do you weigh an extinct amphibian?

    AMRI
    Artist’s reconstruction of Eryops megacephalus (left) and Paracyclotosaurus davidi (right).
  • News from LIRS: Lizard Island’s smallest fish, and where to find them

    Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) is featured at the AM. LIRRF supports scientific research & education at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. This month, we feature: Lizard Island’s smallest fish, and where to find them.

    AMRI
    Specimens of different species of the goby genus Eviota collected at Lizard Island. All are less than 3 cm long.
  • The fish list: A decade in the making

    Home to the billowing sails of the Opera House and the shimmering arches of the Harbour Bridge, Sydney is famed for its magnificent harbour – but what lies beneath the water’s surface? In a recent study, Australian Museum scientists delve into the remarkable biodiversity of Sydney harbour.

    AMRI
    Watanabe's Angelfish Genicanthus watanabei
  • Will you answer the call? Help us understand how your local frogs are faring

    In winter 2021, thousands of dead frogs were reported across Australia. To help us understand the impact of this event on our frogs, we need your help.

    AMRI
    Sick Green Tree Frog
  • Catching Lizards to stop Lizard catchers: New genetic tools to prevent shingleback poaching

    In a world first, PhD candidate Amber Brown with supervising scientists have developed and validated a fit-for-purpose mitochondrial DNA kit to identify shingleback DNA – and created one of the only phylogeographic genetic databases to track the genetic lineage of confiscated shingleback lizards.

    AMRI
    A shingleback found in its natural environment in NSW prior to genetic sampling.