Toothed platypus lived 25m years ago
Australia’s platypus, one of the world’s most enigmatic animals, had an exotic origin story, according to an exciting discovery by Flinders University palaeontologists. They have described […]
1m-year-old ‘lost world’ discovered
Australian and New Zealand scientists have unearthed the remains of ancient wildlife in a cave near Waitomo on Aotearoa’s North Island, the first time a large […]
Fossil site highlights climate change
Flinders University palaeontology researchers – with local fossil experts – have discovered how prolific shorebirds, including the Plains-wanderer, once lived across South Australia’s South-East during wetter […]
NZ bird life echoes Australia
New research reveals that distant relatives of the Australian magpie once lived in Aotearoa New Zealand 19 million years ago. Magpies were introduced from Australia in […]
Fossils lead to NZ’s ‘first’ native species
Forget the kiwi or moa, kākāpō are the true native of New Zealand. Aotearoa’s true ancient species are animals like kākāpō, small wrens, bats and freshwater limpets, […]
Lessons from our ancient past
The extinction of species as diverse as flesh-eating kangaroos, tree-climbing crocodiles and gigantic venomous lizards are just a few examples of the extraordinary prehistoric history of […]
Weird animals uncovered after 25m years
The discovery of an early wombat relative with a powerful bite and a possum with bizarre nut-cracker teeth helps fill in a lost part of a […]
Giant eagle discovered in Flinders Ranges
An eagle twice the size of the modern-day apex predator the wedge-tailed eagle, which soared over southern Australia more than 60,000 years ago, had a wingspan […]
Big bird bones show slow breeding
Big bones from the extinct ‘thunder bird’ or dromornithid, excavated in the northern reaches of the Flinders Ranges and near Alice Springs, have yielded new insights […]