The Wildlife of Gondwana Exhibition CuriouSCI! ty Photograph provided by the Herald Sun: Boy and Dinosaur CuriouSCI! ty is the offspring of the Monash the National Museum of Natural Sciences Science Centre, which was launched in 1993 (Taiwan,) and Timor-Leste). as the brainchild of a research academic and Successful Exhibitions rely on strong the Vice Chancellor of Monash University. It relationships with host venues and research filled a community need – that of access to organisations such as, National Geographic content-rich science and technology Society (Washington), Paleontological information, particularly by youth, delivered in Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences such a way that it could be understood, with (Moscow), Museo Palaeontologico Egidio observers empowered and enthused to seek Feruglio (Trelew, Argentina), Queen Victoria more and personally evaluate the information Museum and Art Gallery (Launceston), the they were accessing. Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, the CuriouSCI! ty is located in the science Gunma Prefectural Museum and the National precinct on the Clayton campus of Monash Museum (the latter 3 in Japan). University. Monash University is Australia’s CuriouSCI! ty and its outreach primary largest and most internationally focussed education partner PrimeSCI! highly value the University. Sir David Attenborough, the patron of the co-operative input to exhibitions and CuriouSCI! ty and PrimeSCI! . The Patron of this Centre is Sir David education modules by community groups, Photo by David McKay. Attenborough. government and the private sector, for example the SES (State Emergency Services), CuriouSCI! ty EMA (Emergency Management Australia), In the last 11 years CFA (Country Fire Authority), Qantas, and GlaxoSmithKlein and others. • Over 4+ million people have attended an MSC exhibition (1.2 million Australians, CuriouSCI! ty and PrimeSCI! are recognized 2.5+ million International) leaders in Science Outreach institutions and have sought to provide professional guidance • Topics covered include Geosciences to other organizations such as National (especially Palaeobiology), Natural Museum of Australia (Canberra), Kyoto Disasters, Human Biology, Science and Front Cover University Museum (Japan), the Gunma Art, Astronomy, Scientific Instrumentation, All of the dinosaurs exceptMuttaburrasaurus in Prefectural Museum (Japan), the this scene are from Early Cretaceous polar Climate Change Paleontological Institute of the Russian Victoria. From Right to left: an ankylosaur Minmi, Academy of Sciences (Moscow), the Atlascopcosaurus are in the background and a Exhibitions have toured around Australia and flying reptile (a pterosaur) in the air. (Credit: Artist internationally (including the the Burke Shanghai Natural History Museum (China), Peter Trusler, copyright Australia Post. This Museum (University of Washington, USA), the the Kotelnich Regional Museum (Russia), the material has been reproduced with permission of Singapore Science Centre, the Iranian the Australian Postal Corporation. The original New Jersey State Museum (USA), the Los Science and Technology Museum among work is held in the National Philatelic Collection). Angeles County Museum (USA), Argentina, Japan, Italy, the Singapore Science Centre, many others. The Exhibition This exhibition looks at the diversity of life in dynamic poses include a giant lizard Early modern life (Cambrian - Ordivician the great southern super-continent Gondwana (Megalania ) chasing a giant flightless bird 542-444 mya) from 3.8 billion years to present. (Bullockornis ), and an Antarctica dinosaur § Archaeocyathid colony blocks § (Cryolohophosaurus ). All furniture and Trilobite resting or feeding trace and worm The unique nature of the fauna of this protective perspex panels. Comprehensive traces continent and the complex interplay of § Rock specimens with Agnostid trilobite Education Kits for Levels Prep to Year 8 and changes over geological history provides an § Large selection of graptolites from the above. engaging context for exhibition attendees. Cambrian and Ordovician of Victoria. This exhibition is supported by Visions of Including Phyllograptus, Didymograptus The exhibition highlights the products of Australia, an Australian Government Program and Tetragraptus. research by some of the world's leading supporting touring exhibitions by providing palaeontologists, including staff from Monash Silurian (444-416 mya) funding assistance for the development and University. § Baragwanathia longfolia block (early land touring of cultural material across Australia plants) Components Specimen list § Trilobites 42 information panels More than 300 Precambrian (older than 542 mya) specimens of fossils and rocks (including § Slabs of Neoproterozoic material Dromornis stirtoni, Reconstruction of Central original and cast material), both fragmentary Australian Miocene. This reconstruction depicts a (metazoan body fossils and traces) scene in times past, 8 million years before the and full skeletons. Art works by Peter Trusler present. ThenDromornis stirtoni , the largest § Large slab of Banded Iron Formation and others depicting the animals and their species of "Mihirung", roamed the Central Australia landscape, browsing on leaves, fruit, flowers, palaeoenvironment. Skeletons mounted in petioles and twigs growing three or four metres above the ground. (Credit: Artist Peter Trusler) Koolasuchus cleelandi, the last surviving labyrinthodont amphibian, Early Cretaceous by P. Trusler Devonian (416-359 mya) Cretaceous (145.5-65.5 mya) § Large variety of Australian plant and § Limestone nodules New Zealand Specimens invertebrate material § Placoderm material § Monotreme humerus § Eastmanosteus calliospis skull Vertebrate fossils § Pterosaur humerus § Receptaculitids § Ankylosaur vertebra, rib § Qantassaurus intrepidus jaw & model § Block of Murindal limestone with fossils § Sauropod rib fragment § Rock specimen from polar site in Victoria § Stromatoporoids (Colonial reef building § Pterosaur distal ulna § Footprints from Winton Quarry, Queensland metazoans) § Small theropod (or bird) toe bone § Theropod partial claw § Slab with tabulate and tetracorals § Large theropod partial toe bone § Theropod ulna § Ammonites § Pterosaur? scapula (shoulder blade) § Trackway of an early amphibian Indian Specimens § Spinella yassensis (brachiopods) Central Asian Specimens § Ammonites § Large carnosaur in a dig scene Carboniferous (359-299 mya) § Ankylosaur skeleton Cainozoic (Tertiary) Eocene (55.8-33.9 mya) § Early amphibians and reptiles § Ornithomimosaur skeleton § A variety of invertebrates from Antarctica § Gondwanathere partial lower jaw Permian (299-251 mya) Antarctic Specimens § Dromornithid foot § Mesosaurus skeleton § Hadrosaur metatarsal § Crocodile and turtle material § Glossopteris plant slabs § Variety of invertebrates § Shark vertebrae Cainozoic (Tertiary) Oligocene (33.9-23 Mesozoic Triassic (251-205 mya) mya) § Palaeoniscid fish South American Specimens § Wynyardia skull (cast) § Deltasuchus kimberleyensis, labyrinthodont § Piatnizkysaurus skull § Emydura (turtle) plastron amphibian. § Herrerasaurus skull § Diprotodontid jaw § Thrinaxodon cast § Lystrosaurus, skull and skeleton Australian material Cainozoic (Tertiary) Miocene (23-5.3 mya) § Ichthyosaur model § Queensland dicynodont § Bullockornis partial skull § Rubidgia skull § Large variety of southern polar Australian § Neohelos partial lower jaw dinosaur material (including Timimus § Borhyaenid skeleton Jurassic (199-145.5 mya) hermani, Leaellynasaura amicigraphica, § Cryolophosaurus elliotti, mounted skeleton Megalosaurus, ?Allosauroid sp ., Cainozoic (Tertiary) Pliocene (5.3-2.6 mya) § Pterosaur humerus Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei) § Didelphidae skull § Isolated carnosaur tooth § Ausktribosphenos nyktos lower jaw § Actenomys sp. skulls (Rodentia, § Prosauropod partial foot § Teinolophos trusleri lower jaw Caviomropha) § Tritylodont tooth § Chelycarapookus arcuatus, internal mould § 2Lagostomopsis sp. skeletons § Footprints of mammals of the shell § Paedotherium sp. Skull § A variety of invertebrates and plants from § Atlascopcosaurus loadsi lower jaw § Glaudodon ballaratensis, lower jaw, cast of locales around Australia and Sri Lanka. § Koolasuchus cleelandi partial lower jaw & type specimen clavicle § Ostrich bones from South Africa Cainozoic - Pleistocene (2.6- present) § Wide selection of casts of primitive Below: As the bottom-feeding dipnoan, § Sthenurus sp. jaws marsupials from Central Australia Griphognathus whitei, probes platypus-like in the § § organic rich mud at a depth of about 100 metres Diprotodon teeth Eggshells fromRhea , Dromornis and near the Late Devonian barrier reef of Gogo, § Megalania prisca skeleton attacking a Dinornis Western Australia, a curious arthrodire placoderm, Bullockornis skeleton § Bones from New Zealand Moas and Eastmanosteus calliaspis, comes to investigate the § Dromornis skull ground parrots commotion (Credit: Artist Peter Trusler from § § Wildlife of Gondwana by P. Vickers Rich & T.H. Palorchestes azeal skull and partial Platypus (Ornithorhyncus anatinus) skeleton Rich). skeleton § Zygomaturus skull § Neohelos skull and partial skeleton § Meiolania partial skull § New CaledonianSilvornis (extinct ground bird) bones § Lord Howe Is & Norfolk Is fossil birds § Large rock specimens from several different locales § Megatherium americana footprint § Toxodon platensis complete skeleton § Thylacosmilus, Propleopus and Eumegamys (rodent), skulls and carapace § Thylacosmilus