Crikey! Australian wildlife is no joke – it’s colourful, cheeky, deadly, furry and everything in between. If you thought today’s fauna was spectacular, wait ’til you embark on an adventure to the prehistoric era at the Australian Museum. The new and free Surviving Australia gallery on level two shows museum-goers of all ages what Australia looked like in the past, now and in the future with digital displays, leading research and hands-on specimens. Happy exploring!
Humans aren’t the only ones in a housing crisis! Check out this digital experience that shows how animals seek shelter in tree hollows, and how this habitat is becoming increasingly under threat. Learn how ancient burning practices by First Nations peoples protect beautiful animals like the green tree snake, feathertail glider, purple-crowned lorikeet and yellow-bellied sheathtail bat from bushfires. What will you find hidden in the trees?
Think big. Think gigantic. Think mega – megafauna, that is. Take a step (way back) in time to find the ancestors of your favourite Aussie animals, but jumbo-sized. See life-sized 3D models of the Diprotodon optatum (think a wombat but elephant-sized), extinct kangaroos such as the muscular Procoptodon goliah and carnivorous Ekaltadeta ima. See their skulls, touch their jaws and see if you can draw resemblances to Australian fauna today.
Check out this replica of the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Centre for a glance at what marine biology research looks like out in the Great Barrier Reef. Little kids will delight in sensory play specimens and science equipment like digital microscopes while the big kids can explore a digital display on coral bleaching and underwater photogrammetry on symbiotic relationships under the sea.
Before the kangaroos as we know them today could hop, their ancestors had to walk (and crawl and climb). Explore this world-first showcase at the Australian Museum on the evolution of kangaroos. It’s interesting enough how modern kangaroos balance on their tails like a fifth leg, but this exhibition explores the biological mechanics of kangaroos throughout history – from walking on all fours to climbing. Use the interactive display to apply different selection pressures and see how this incredible animal could evolve differently.
Explore how animals have adapted from the wild to the concrete jungle through interactive displays like the FrogID validator. The Australian Museum’s snazzy AI technology allows us to identify all the different weird and wonderful sounds from urban frogs. See what ecosystems look like in an urban context, get some tips on how to protect your local bushland, test how well you know your biology facts.
Ready to get up close and personal with the animals of Australia? Surviving Australia is now at the Australian Museum as a permanent exhibition and entry is free. Plan your visit here.