Terrestrial Zoology
Terrestrial Zoology maintains large collections of terrestrial animals, including both terrestrial invertebrates and vertebrates, as well as marine species of the major groups studied (e.g. sea snakes). Taxonomic research is carried out on these collections.
The Terrestrial Zoology department is responsible for maintaining large collections of a wide variety of terrestrial animals.
These include the collections of Arachnology (spiders), Entomology (insects), Herpetology (reptiles and frogs), Mammalogy (mammals) and Ornithology (birds).
Members of the department undertake research into various aspects of terrestrial animals, particularly their classification and naming, evolutionary relationships and ecology and behaviour with frequent scientific publications published widely.
The department maintains the Checklist of the Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna of Western Australia, which is updated twice a year, as well as Mark Harvey’s World Pseudoscorpiones Catalog.
In addition, the department maintains strong working relationships and partnerships with national and international researchers and organisations.
Building on its collections and specimen knowledge with frequent fieldwork and research projects, the department is a frequent contributor to both permanent and temporary exhibitions, and public and educational programming across all of the Western Australian Museum sites.
News and content
The WA Museum is home to one of the largest collections of bird eggs in Australia with more than 40,000 clutches! Although less than 25 per cent of the Museum’s egg collection is currently registered, teams of dedicated volunteers are working to register the remaining 30,000+ clutches as part of the Legacy Collection Project.
Once thought to be extinct, a specimen of the elusive Night Parrot is now on display for the first time at the WA Museum Boola Bardip. The Western Australian Museum’s recent acquisition of a whole specimen is the most significant one collected since the 1800s and only the 4th complete specimen collected in Western Australia. It is also the best representation of the Night Parrot in any museum around the world and will provide a significant opportunity for WA Museum visitors to view the elusive bird up close.
A research team led by Dr Mark Harvey from the Western Australian Museum’s Terrestrial Zoology department has discovered two new species of trapdoor spiders, bringing the total of named trapdoor spiders to over 200 in WA.
The Western Australian Museum has been actively investigating the footpad structure of the small dasyurid marsupials with a view to improving identification of the species involved.
The following gallery features a selections of frogs and reptiles from WA.
Explore the Terrestrial Zoology collections
Arachnology (Arachnids and Myriapods)
This collection contains representatives of arachnids and myriapods, chiefly from Western Australia, but including specimens from other Australian regions and elsewhere in the world. Most specimens are stored in ethanol or slide-mounted.
Herpetology (Amphibians and Reptiles)
The Herpetology collection contains specimens of reptiles and frogs from throughout Australia and South-East Asia but predominantly Western Australia. The majority of the collection is preserved in alcohol but some dried and skeletal material is also maintained.
Entomology (Insects)
This collection contains representatives of all kinds of insects, chiefly from Western Australia, but including specimens from other Australian states and elsewhere in the world.
Mammalogy (Mammals)
This collection contains representatives of both terrestrial and aquatic mammals, chiefly from Western Australia, but including specimens from other Australian regions and elsewhere in the world - particularly from southeast Asia.
Ornithology (Birds)
The Museum's Ornithology Collection contains eggs, nests, skeletons, taxidermy, alcohol preserved birds and also tissue used for genetic analysis. The bird specimens are sourced from all over Western Australia as well as Christmas Island and Indonesia.
Research projects
Taxonomy of subterranean pseudoscorpions from the Pilbara
The focus of this project is the pseudoscorpions that occur in subterranean habitats in the Pilbara. Pseudoscorpions are tiny arachnids that resemble a scorpion but lack a long tail and sting. The project has already uncovered over 100 new species.
Fortescue Marsh Biodiversity Project
A grant from Fortescue Metals Group to the WA Museum and the Foundation for the WA Museum to document the evolution, taxonomy and systematics of ground beetles (family Carabidae) in the Pilbara region of WA.
The evolution of tool use in Australian assassin bugs (Reduviidae: Harpactorinae)
Tool use is a rare phenomenon in animals, despite its potential usefulness for solving ecological challenges. Most examples of tool use come from vertebrate species, mainly primates and birds, but more recently some invertebrates have also joined this select group of animals. This project studies the evolution and behaviour of a group of assassin bugs that collect sticky plant exudates, which they use for hunting and caring for their young.
Conservation systematics and rapid taxonomy of Australia's most diverse genus of trapdoor spiders (Mygalomorphae: Anamidae: Aname)
A project on the Australian endemic trapdoor spider genus Aname is being undertaken at the WA Museum, University of Western Australia and Queensland Museum. With over 100 new species to be described, this genus will be one of the largest trapdoor spider genera in the world.
