https://theconversation.com/australia-needs-more-state-fossil-emblems-but-let-the-public-decide-46930

Australia needs more state fossil emblems,

but let the public decide

September 8, 2015 6.07am AEST

Examining a model of the ancient fish Mandageria fairfaxi, the new fossil emblem for NSW are

(l-r) NSW MP Anthony Roberts, director and CEO of the Australian Museum Kim McKay,

NSW MPs Andrew Gee and Troy Grant, and Dr Ian Percival from the Geological Survey of

NSW. AAP Image/Supplied

Author

1. John Long

John Long is a Friend of The Conversation.

Strategic Professor in Palaeontology at Flinders University

Disclosure statement

John Long receives funding from The Australian Research Council.

Partners

Flinders University provide funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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.

Mandageria fairfaxi, a 365-million-year-old predatory fish from Canowindra, now selected as

the official state fossil emblem of New South Wales. The Age of Fishes Museum, Canowindra,

Author provided

The Geological Survey of NSW officiated the selection of the state fossil, so this process did not

involve public input. This contrasts to the very open selection of Australia’s first fossil emblem

20 years ago in WA, which was guided by public submissions.

But why should each state have a fossil emblem anyway?

The importance of fossils

Australian states all have a floral, faunal and marine emblems, representing animals, plants and

marine creatures that best epitomise their state’s unique natural history, and they can be used to

promote tourism.

The fossil emblem embodies the concepts of deep time and evolutionary transition as being

important to understanding the natural history of the particular state.

Fossils add another dimension to understanding our current biodiversity. For example, the

numbat is the faunal emblem of WA where it is only found today, although through fossils we

know it once lived in NSW and was therefore widespread across the nation.

The idea came from the US where every state has an official state fossil emblem as well as floral,

faunal and mineral emblems. The first states to embrace the fossil emblem were Louisiana

(petrified palmwood), Maine (the prehistoric plant Pertica quadrifaria) and Georgia (shark

tooth), which designated their state fossils in 1976.

Even today it is important to emphasise that teaching evolution is fundamental to understanding

biology, as some US states still challenge it. Simply having the states recognise an official fossil

emblem was a significant breakthrough for public education in the US.

So when and how did Australia jump on the bandwagon to start recognising fossil emblems?

Fossil emblems for Australia

Australia’s first state fossil emblem was proclaimed on December 5, 1995, as the Devonian fish

Mcnamaraspis kaprios, from the 380-million-year-old Gogo sites in WA. I know it well as I

discovered it in 1986 and named the fossil in a paper published in 1995.

But I wasn’t the person who selected it to be the emblem. The selection was by a democratic

process put in place by the WA government.

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

children’s musical play. Symbolised images of it adorned signposts advertising the Kimberley.

Later this year we will celebrate its 20-year anniversary.

Fossil emblems for other states and territories

This raises the question: why don’t the other Australian states have their own state fossil

emblems? Two of our states are host to world heritage fossil sites – the Naracoorte Caves in

South Australia and the Riversleigh sites in Queensland.

With the protection of fossil sites currently under threat in the news in Victoria – the Beaumaris

site – the timing for a state fossil emblem campaign couldn’t be better to raise public awareness

about fossils and our most important fossil sites.

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 Australia’s

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 Australia’s 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 it’s time to rally and get started if your state or territory doesn’t 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!