Māori treasure kiwi feathers for weaving cloaks for high-ranking people. But the bird’s first description by European scientists is quite recent, based on a specimen that arrived in London in 1812.
This stroke of serendipity shows how much there is still to be learned about the natural history of Australia. Surely more surprises are out there waiting for us.
There are fundamental knowledge gaps around coral in the Great Barrier Reef, including how many species live there and where they’re found. Our new study finally starts to fill those gaps.
A public debate recently erupted among global taxonomists. Strongly-worded ripostes were exchanged. A comparison to Stalin was floated. But eventually, they worked it out.
The Victorian grassland earless dragon may well be the first lizard species driven to extinction on Australia’s mainland. But conservationists aren’t ready to declare it dead just yet.
Taxonomists are becoming as rare as some of the species they work on, and this puts museum collections and conservation efforts under threat and increases the risk of biosecurity incursions.
Scientists have been naming species after well-known people since the 18th century, often in a bid for publicity. But the issue deserves attention – 400,000 Australian species are yet to be described.