Mystery of a lost Nullarbor predatorThursday August 17, 2006. As part of Science Week, the Western Australian Museum has released a documentary tracing the discovery of a treasure trove of creatures that died in a Nullarbor cave about half a million years ago. Bone Diggers – Mystery of a Lost Predator tells the story of a palaeontological find that continues to rewrite our knowledge of this region during the Pleistocene era. The documentary traces former WA Museum palaeontologist Dr John Long’s first visit to the cave after being told of the find and his awe at what the quiet, dark depths contained. It also tracks the detailed detective work on the skeletal remains of the animals, in particular that of the marsupial lion, Thylacoleo carnifex. The cave gave up the first full skeleton of Thylacoleo - a fearsome predator weighing in at about 80kgs, about 1.5 metres long and with an arsenal of teeth and claws that included long back teeth like the blades of a pair of secateurs and a clawed thumb probably used to disembowel its prey. Museum CEO Dr Dawn Casey said such a find was every palaeontologist’s dream. “This was an Aladdin’s cave of prehistory treasures, horned kangaroos, a wombat the size of a pony and giant tree kangaroos,” Dr Casey said. “I am sure that Dr Long and Dr Gavin Prideaux, who is presently working on the cave and its contents would agree that for them, this was the big one – the find of a lifetime,” she said. The documentary is the result of a partnership between the Museum, Rio Tinto WA Future Fund and Storyteller Media Group. “Bone Diggers gives us all the chance to explore this incredible, cathedral-like cave and its contents and to hear about the work that will continue for the next 20 years as we continue to unearth and document its secrets,” Dr Casey said. Museum documentary producer Clay Bryce said when he saw the skeleton ofThylacoleo lying on the cave floor, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. “It was incredible, the cave’s dry atmosphere meant the skeleton had remained bones and had not become fossilised,” he said.“It was pristine, not a speck of dust on it, but the bones were so fragile they would have fallen to dust in John’s hands. “It took days of pouring a special glue into the bones before they could be touched.” Rio Tinto’s Pilbara Iron managing directory Dave Smith said the company became involved in the weeks following the discovery of the Thylacoleo remains in May 2002 by a group of cavers. As an organisation that spends a great deal of time digging treasures out of the Australian dirt, it was quite fitting that we supported this monumental discovery,” Mr Smith said. “Since 2002, the Rio Tinto WA Future Fund partnership with the WA Museum has grown beyond the initial recovery of the first Thylacoleo to a point where more than 60 species of mammals, reptiles and birds have now been collected.” The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Catalyst program will run a version of the documentary, Beast from the Nullarbor at 8.00pm tonight. Ends Media contact: Caroline Lacy on 08 9427 2860 or 0417 970 239 caroline.lacy@museum.wa.gov.au |