Marine Reptiles and Sharks from the Age of the Dinosaurs

Basic page | Fri 27 Jan 2012  

Around 100 million years ago, in the age of the dinosaurs, the coastal areas of Western Australia were covered in a shallow sea.

Living in this ancient ocean, there were gigantic marine reptiles and large sharks that were the top predators of the age.

These massive animals are now extinct, however, in the Dampier region near Exmouth, there are many reminders of their once dominant presence.

Fossillised bones and teeth tell stories about how these reptiles and sharks lived. We can work out what they ate, where they lived, how old they were, and what life was like in the shallow seas during the age of the dinosaurs.

During August 2011, the Western Australian Museum's Dr Mikael Siversson - Curator of Palaeontology and world renowed expert on fossil Lamniform Sharks - led a field trip to the Giralia Range. This website documents the field trip, the discoveries, and provides some ultra-high resolution photography of the fossils and videos diaries from the field trip.

Learn more about Marine Reptiles and Sharks