Cretaceous marine reptiles from the Eromanga Sea - a research project focussing on the fossils of Outback Queensland. The Eromanga Sea covered large tracts of north and central Australia between 140 and 95 million years ago. Major faunal components of this inland-sea were marine reptiles, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and sea turtles. North Qld has extensive marine fossil deposits remaining to be systematically explored. Many world-significant specimens from these strata are housed in the Au ....Cretaceous marine reptiles from the Eromanga Sea - a research project focussing on the fossils of Outback Queensland. The Eromanga Sea covered large tracts of north and central Australia between 140 and 95 million years ago. Major faunal components of this inland-sea were marine reptiles, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and sea turtles. North Qld has extensive marine fossil deposits remaining to be systematically explored. Many world-significant specimens from these strata are housed in the Australian, Queensland and Richmond Marine Fossil museums. This project intends to resolve fundamental questions concerning the evolution, environment, lifestyle and distribution of Cretaceous marine reptiles by improving their fossil record and analysing newly discovered Australian specimens, including the world's first plesiosaur embryo.Read moreRead less
Overturning the Ediacara biota: community structure of the oldest animal ecosystems. The first systematic excavation of serial fossil beds of South Australia's famous Ediacara biota will lead to an integrated study of the oldest diverse macroscopic assemblages of life on Earth. Once the preservational and biological components of the record have been separated, Ediacaran fossil beds can be treated as 'snap-shots? of benthic marine communities. This will enable the use of palaeoecological tools t ....Overturning the Ediacara biota: community structure of the oldest animal ecosystems. The first systematic excavation of serial fossil beds of South Australia's famous Ediacara biota will lead to an integrated study of the oldest diverse macroscopic assemblages of life on Earth. Once the preservational and biological components of the record have been separated, Ediacaran fossil beds can be treated as 'snap-shots? of benthic marine communities. This will enable the use of palaeoecological tools to determine which if any of these Precambrian fossils were members of animal groups that heralded the Cambrian explosion of animal life.Read moreRead less
Biogeography and evolution of Australia's fossil reptiles: A global perspective. Large marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs, and missing links such as legged snakes, are spectacular animals that have captured public attention. This collaboration will directly enhance public museum displays by collecting and preparing these spectacular fossils; many of the fossils found by the CIs are now centerpieces of museum displays (e.g. the SA museum). Also, it will also promote awareness and sustainable u ....Biogeography and evolution of Australia's fossil reptiles: A global perspective. Large marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs, and missing links such as legged snakes, are spectacular animals that have captured public attention. This collaboration will directly enhance public museum displays by collecting and preparing these spectacular fossils; many of the fossils found by the CIs are now centerpieces of museum displays (e.g. the SA museum). Also, it will also promote awareness and sustainable use of the environment: it will facilitate CI Kear in running earthwatch-style ecotourism field trips which promote sustainable use of finite fossil resources by making them commercially valuable to local communities as a source of tourism revenue.Read moreRead less
Life and environments of the Lower Cretaceous Winton Formation, western Queensland: The Winton Dinosaur Project. This proposal is for research into vertebrate assemblages from newly discovered fossil sites in the Winton Formation, western Queensland. These sites indicate that the Winton Formation is one of the most palaeontologically productive Lower Cretaceous continental sequences in Australia. Within it are preserved vertebrates (including several new types of dinosaurs, crocodilians, turtles ....Life and environments of the Lower Cretaceous Winton Formation, western Queensland: The Winton Dinosaur Project. This proposal is for research into vertebrate assemblages from newly discovered fossil sites in the Winton Formation, western Queensland. These sites indicate that the Winton Formation is one of the most palaeontologically productive Lower Cretaceous continental sequences in Australia. Within it are preserved vertebrates (including several new types of dinosaurs, crocodilians, turtles, lungfish and freshwater sharks), invertebrates, plants and trace-fossils of a restricted biome over a relatively short time span. Research into these new sites will provide us with our first-ever detailed window on northern Australia's Lower Cretaceous lowland and coastal environments during the final break-up of Gondwana.Read moreRead less