AAOD JOURNAL
ISSUE 3

Journal  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8

FEATURES

14  KRONOSAURUS CHRONICLES
      The controversy surrounding Australia's
      largest marine reptile
      Story by Troy Myers

26  TRAWLING FOR THE WHITE GOLD
      Searching for buried treasure: the trials and
      tribulations of Australia's largest dinosaur dig
      Story by Scott Hocknull

44  FIREBALLS AND THUNDERSTONES
      Fireballs Meteorites and Bolide Impacts:
      the Australian record
      Story by Libby Cannon

66  POOR WALLY!
      The northern hairy-nosed wombat: where did
      it come from, where has it gone!
      Story by Scott Hocknull

REGULARS

2    EDITORIAL

4    DIGGERS DIARY

6    ON THE DINOSAUR TRAIL

8    BLACKSOIL
      The Hawk-Eyed Bushman
      Understorey Story
      A Curly One
      Killer or Vulture

74  FOSSIL FACTS
      Tertiary Vertebrates of Riversleigh

76  TAIL BONES

OUR COVER
The most complete skeleton of an Australian Kronosaurus was collected north west of Richmond in 1978. This 9m individual had died with turtle bones in its stomach and also at a point halfway along its throat. What appears to be a puncture hole from a large tooth penetrated the kronosaur's snout not long before its death. The cover image suggests a possible scenario.
Illustration by Laurie Beirne

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Front Cover: Laurie Beirne.
Blacksoil: Mick and Joyce Elliott, Norm and Neal Elliott, Mike and Patrice Elliott, David and Judy Elliott, Mary Mann, Kristen Spring, Queensland Museum, Dr Mary Wade, Jessie Boon, Joanne Wilkinson, Susan Parfrey, Flinders Discovery Centre, Dr Alex Cook, Prof Trevor Clifford, Prof Mary Dettmann, Adam Morrell, Kronosaurus Korner.
Features: Dr Troy Myers, Libby Cannon, Scott Hocknull. (See articles for further acknowledgements)
Fossil Facts: Dr John Scanlon.
Tail Bones: David and Judy Elliott.

It never ceases to amaze me just how much I don’t know about! When we enlisted the services of Libby Cannon for this year’s article on meteorites, we were expecting a simple cut and dried story about space rocks. What we got was something entirely different!

I still can’t decide whether it was an editor’s dream or an editor’s worst nightmare! The story simply fascinated me and opened my eyes to just how much knowledge is out there, waiting to be acquired. I found it virtually impossible to shorten without devaluing the quality and integrity of the article. In Fireballs and Thunderstones, Libby has skillfully blended a mixture of remarkable phenomena, scientific research and outback Australian colour that brings us a wealth of fascinating information; a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Our historical feature, Kronosaurus Chronicles, is without doubt the most controversial subject we have ever ventured into and is a story about a giant marine reptile skeleton discovered near Richmond, Queensland, in 1932. Collected by a team of American scientists, this giant fossil was the most complete of its kind and was later shipped to the United States of America where it now resides at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. Troy Myers has written a no-holds barred account of the discovery, reconstruction and export of this magnificent specimen and we are well aware that someone, somewhere, is going to take us to task over it. There is a wealth of information circulating throughout Australia – and indeed the world – about new specimens of kronosaurus that supposedly prove the Harvard skeleton is not what it is made out to be. Whether this information is correct or not remains to be seen, but as Troy states in his article, most of the theories and ‘expert’ opinions are based on unpublished data. Until someone provides hard scientific evidence to the contrary, the scientific literature regarding this historic discovery remains totally unchallenged!