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John Long
John Long is a Friend of The Conversation.
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John Long receives funding from The Australian Research Council.
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New South Wales has joined Western Australia to become the second state or territory in
Australia to have formally adopted a fossil emblem.
The 365-million-year-old Devonian fish Mandageria fairfaxi was last month announced as the
state fossil emblem of NSW.
Mandageria was a lobe-finned fish that grew to nearly two metres long. It was a voracious
predator with large fangs whose complete fossil remains have been found at the Canowindra
fossil site. These can be seen on display at The Age of Fishes Museum in Canowindra.
The selection of the NSW state fossil emblem was driven by key individuals including Dr Alex
Ritchie, a former curator in palaeontology of the Australian Museum, who had been working the
Canowindra site for many years and found many new species of ancient fishes.
The WA state fossil emblem is the Gogo fish Mcnamaraspis kaprios. John Long
The idea came from staff at the Dianella-Sutherland Primary School, in northern Perth, who
heard about the US system of having state fossil emblems. The teachers thought the process of
lobbying state government to have a state fossil would be an educational exercise for their
students. They would learn about local fossils and how governments work.
The students then lobbied the state government and the government listened. Next came a public
call for fossils that would fit the bill.
At the time I served as curator of vertebrate palaeontology at the Western Australian Museum.
My job was to provide information about various suitable fossils for an emblem to the public,
and the arts minister appointed me to chair the State Fossil Emblem Committee.
The school sent a delegation to the museum to see some suitable fossils. They decided that the
Gogo fish, Mcnamaraspis, was the one they wanted to support.
The state fossil emblem committee then reviewed nominations received from the public for
suitable fossils. The Gogo fish was unanimously selected due to the overwhelming support it
received a petition signed by nearly 1,000 people with numerous supporting letters from
international palaeontologists.
The state fossil emblem of WA has been written about in books and used as the topic for a
childrens musical play. Symbolised images of it adorned signposts advertising the Kimberley.
Later this year we will celebrate its 20-year anniversary.
Western Australian Tourism image of the Gogo fish used in promotion of the state. WA Tourism
Victoria has a host of exciting options ranging from the well-preserved early fossil toothed whale
such as Janjucetus, very early land plants such as Baragwanathia and superb megafauna such as
the Diprotodon. It also has a variety of Cretaceous dinosaurs, a giant amphibian and Australias
oldest mammals.
Tasmania has several suitable fossil emblems in its very well-preserved Triassic amphibians and
reptiles, including the Tasmaniosaurus and several types of giant amphibian.
Muttaburrasaurus (centre) was Australias first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton, found in
central Queensland. It is one of several fossils suitable to be the fossil emblem of the state. John
Long
Queensland has many great contenders among its exciting dinosaurs such such as
Muttaburrasaurus or Australovenator. It also has a wealth of diverse and unique fossil mammals
including the killer kangaroo Propleopus.
South Australia has the best well-preserved giant fossil kangaroo Procoptodon and the marsupial
lion Thylacoleo found at the Naracoorte caves, as well as world famous Ediacaran fossils from
the Flinders Ranges (Spriggina, Dickinsonia).
So its time to rally and get started if your state or territory doesnt have a fossil emblem.
Schools, lobby your state pollies and get the idea on the drawing board. If Dianella-Sutherland
Primary School can make history, so can your school!