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BEER'n'bones 4.2 BEER'n'bones Volume 4, Number 2 1 BEER'N'BONES 4.2 BEER'N'BONES Volume 4, Number 2. October, 2009 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY PALAEONTOLOGY SOCIETY MESSAGE FROM THE spent some time looking at Madura After rising just after dawn, the fire PRESIDENT cave furthur towards the coast. This was stoked and the first rounds of tea, was heightened by to the prescence of coffee and jaffles were begun. Once G'day all, Ernest Lundlow, 'the godfather of the flies began their inevitable torment Australian cave palaeontology' (G. the crew would split into three groups. I'm writing this watching the new Prideaux, pers. Comm, 4/2009). Ernie The first group were the excavators. 'Hey Hey it's Saturday'. Some fossils was the first to begin palaeontological Abseiling down 20-odd meters, then should stay buried. work in the region over 50 years ago scrambling over the mammoth rock As most would be aware the club has (see interview below). fall brings you to the site. It consists been breety busy recently, with of a huge sediment events during science week, as floor with surface well as a field trip to Alcoota. features indicating a The Alcoota wrap though will substantial water have to wait, as this issue is prescence at some focussed upon a slightly stage. Two different region of oz. In April, excavation pits of a few palaeo society members 1x2m each were dug tagged along with Gav to the approximately 5m Nullarbor, and this issue from one another. As features some outcomes of the excavation continued trip and previous work in the a number of finds Thylacoleo caves. came to light. Weve also got a ton of other Particularly abundant palaeo news, an interview, were the as-yet and... well you can read. undescribed 'Devil Wallaby', a small Cheers, kangaroo with large A sight to behold. Sam Arman brow protrusions over The trip began, with the Adelaide and the eyes. Also found was an almost OLD NEWS Perth contingents rendezvous in complete skelaton, of Protemnodon, Eucla, just over the WA side of the the largest ever long-faced kangaroo. NULLARBOR FIELD REPORT SA/WA border. From there, the As well as these, there were also a expedition set off down the highway, number of gems, including a wombat, For approximately three weeks a team before heading right for a half-day and the fourth ever specimen, and the of palaeontologists, dedicated four-wheel drive trek, leading us to first juvenile of Procoptodon volunteers, and Lindsay made a trip to the site. The sheer expanse of the williamsii, a sthenurine kangaroo. the Nullarbor to continue work on a place is amazing. There is simply no Once the sediment bags were filled number of mid-Plestocene cave greater feeling of freedom than to pee they were transpoted to the solution deposits. Most work was focussed with the wind at your back, looking pipe where our resident tank Mark upon 'Laeana's breath cave', the name across a sunset soaked horizon and would lead the hauling efforts. Here translating as 'Lioness' breath', eluding knowing that there is not a single the second team would begin with the to the large air flow at the cave other human being for hundreds of essential, dry sieve, removing all of entrance as well as the cave being one kilometers in the distance. With a the finer grained sediment. The final of the original 'Thylacoleo Caves'. suitable patch of dirt settled upon, group was the wet screen. The These caves have been the focus of camp was pitched, necessities dug, a material itself was composed almost recent research in the region (see fire started (which was to remain lit entirely of clay, so while it screened Prideaux et al., 2007), and represent for the entirity of the trip), and the well, the limits on our water did make the best assemblage of arid vertebrate first tins cracked. progress slow. This problem was fauna for the period. The trip also Each day began in the same way. somewhat alleviated about halfway 2 BEER'N'BONES 4.2 through the trip when the heavens opened, and our campsite was soon swamped, allowing collection of a considerable amount of water to help the screening process. This yielded some really significant finds, with a number of smaller marsupial, reptile and bird material showing up. As well as this, a 'probable frog' ilium was discovered, a huge find since frogs have never been reported living in the Nullarbor. Seperate to this, was the work of Paul, a seasoned caver, and discoverer of many of the Thylacoleo caves. He crawled and squirmed through the crevices, mapping the cave, and collecting a huge number of bird specimens in the process. As the sun set and Carey announced 'beer'o'clock' tools were set down and A few of Leaena's gems. the night proceedings begun (see The first thing you notice is the sheer your favourite ale. Fourth, space and quatermasters report). vastness of the plains; the curvature of weight are limited; buy no more than As the rain got heavier, the trip split, the earth is clearly visible and the is necessary. Harsh rules but fair with half clearing up at Laenna's horizon remains unobscured enough under the circumstances, you breath' while another group set off to whichever way you turn. It is were welcome to have no beer at all if revisit Madura Cave with Ernie. Not magnificent desolation. The second that’s what you wanted! (You can play content to sit out the rain in the tent, thing you notice is a dryness of the this game at home, how much would Troglodite Paul continued to scurry throat, a certain aridity of the tongue, you bring?) around the various crevices of the a rising thirst. It was time for a beer. 'swiss-cheese' rockfall, finding Third realisation......the nearest pub is The final carton count looked like another Thylacoleo skull on the very a roadhouse a couple of hours’ four- this: last day to round off proceedings. wheel drive away, and you will be out Dr Tims x 7 here for a fortnight. Be prepared. Coopers lager x 2 Sam Arman The secret to surviving on the beerless Coopers light x 1 plains is to bring your own beverages Carlton Draught x 2 Prideaux G.J., Long, J.A., Ayliffe, along with you. This sounds simple Southwark Bitter x 1 L.K., Hellstrom, J.C., Pillans, B., enough but has several clauses Hammer & Tongs x 1 Boles, W.B., Hutchinson, M.N., attached to it. First, the expeditions’ Guinness (400ml)x 2 Roberts, R.G., Cupper, M.L., Arnold, purpose is to collect fossils, beer is Amsterdam (400ml)x 2 L.J., Devine, P., Warburton, N.M., actually a secondary consideration Kilkenny (400ml) x 1 (2007), An Arid-Adapted Middle (that’s devotion to Science for you!) Amsterdam (Bottles) x 1 Pleistocene Vertebrate Fauna from so all beer must be purchased in Little creatures (bottles) x 1 South-Central Australia, Nature, vol. tinned form to allow room for all of Cider (bottles) x 1 445, pp422-425 those plentiful and valuable fossils on the return trip, bottles take up as much A reasonable amount and a good SURVIVING THE “NULLABEER” room full or empty whereas cans can variety to boot! You will note that PLAINS be crushed to reduce volume. some bottles were present; this was an Secondly, you must provide enough oversight from independent visitors Nullabeer: beer to sustain yourself for the who had no need to consider space Null= Void, None, Zero, Empty. duration, people with enough beer limitations. tend to laugh and say cruel things to Overall, the all round favourite fluid Abeer= A Beer, One Solitary Beer, the unprepared as they quietly sip at was Dr Tims, a beer that stands proud One Beer of any description. their nightly glass of water. Third, the in its mediocrity and was coveted by beer is sourced from your own budget, all. Other beers worthy of mention Also known as the Beerless Plains, be thrifty but not mean, a larger were the Tall tins of Guinness and The Boozeless Void, The Dry Horrors, quantity of lesser quality beer is Kilkenny, proof that you can get a The Beer Gone Flat, and known preferable to diminishing amounts of decent beer in a tin and the Tall tins of locally as Dijabringyabeeralong. 3 BEER'N'BONES 4.2 illuminata (see BEER'N'BONES, FOSSIL FISH LIKE TO _ _ _ _ volume 3, number 1). The newest PART II species has been given the silky moniker of Bohra nullarbora, in As reported in BEER'N'BONES reference to the region of its volume 3, number 2 it has been discovery, in Leaena's Breath Cave in demonstrated that within the extinct the Nullarbor plain. The discovery Placoderm fishes, internal fertilisation highlights the large change that has is thought to have occurred. This occurred to the Nullarbor flora and knowledge has now been extended, fauna, that the system previously was with the discovery of a specimen able to support two distinct tree where the member involved has kangaroo species. It also highlights survived fossilisation. This is in the how our understanding of tree form of a pelvic clasper in a specimen kangaroos is changing, with a number of Incisoscutum richiei, and show of new species of this group, now considerable sexual dimorphism in restricted to Queensland and New form. The claspers are used in Guinea, being found across the nation. internal fertilisation to assist in Researchers have also noted that the reproduction as seen in extant sharks Carey's Kitchen large amount of variation between today.
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