• 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.
  • Watawieh (Hello)! AM visit to Norfolk Island ahead of expedition

    In early September, Kim McKay AO, Professor Kristofer Helgen and Paul Flemons visited stunning Norfolk Island and met with the community. This trip was in preparation for Phase 1 of the Australian Museum led expedition to Norfolk Island, which is taking place in late October.

    AMRI
    Norfolk Island
  • It’s a date: Citizen science data reveals what triggers frogs to breed

    How do frogs know when to breed? Frogs tune into their environment, which holds important clues as to when the conditions are suitable for breeding. But what clues exactly?

    AMRI
    Common eastern froglet (<i>Crinia signifera</i>) calling.
  • Flying without wings

    Out in the open ocean, the sky’s the limit. Out on the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator, critters of fin and scale take to the air. Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellow, Yi-Kai Tea, describes his time on deck, spotting flying fishes.

    AMRI
    Cheilopogon abei, Abe’s Flying Fish, is a beautiful species of flying fish with ornately patterned wing-like pectoral fins.
  • Hear the difference: Citizen science deciphers the distributions of the mysterious Green Stream Frogs

    How have thousands of people eavesdropping on calling frogs revolutionised our understanding of some of our most cryptic frogs? Dr Jodi Rowley and Tim Cutajar at the Australian Museum find out.

    AMRI
    The southernmost member of the Green Stream Frog group, the Southern Green Stream Frog (Litoria nudidigitus).
  • New profile features on the FrogID website

    FrogID web profile features

    AMRI
    FrogID user profiles feature
  • Flying high on Bitcoin

    A new species of a long-legged fly from Papua New Guinea named after Bitcoin currency

    AMRI
    Long-legged fly from Papua New Guinea, Chrysosoma bitcoin.
  • News from LIRS: Activities at Lizard Island Research Station

    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: Activities at Lizard Island Research Station.

    AMRI
    Coral reef
  • Working together to help our frogs

    Frogs are still mysteriously dying across Australia. Thanks to hundreds of caring frog enthusiasts, we are working together to investigate the cause.

    AMRI
    Eli Bieri looking for frogs
  • Whose hoot? Identity of unknown owl revealed

    Excitement stirred when a small unidentified owl was found dead on Lord Howe Island; Australian Museum scientists have now identified the wayward individual.

    AMRI
    Tasmanian Boobook (Ninox leucopsis)