Y9/10 DNA to Dinosaurs

Fossils of Bayside Incursion

The Y9&10 DNA to Dinosaur class recently participated in a ‘Fossils of Bayside’ incursion where we were very lucky to have Ben Francishelli, a Vertebrate Palaeontologist, present to our students on his current research into the fossils found at Beaumaris Bay. This included: Livyatan (giant predatory sperm whales), Pelagornis (giant pelicans), Diprotodon (cow sized marsupials) and Megladon (mega-shark). These are all fossils that existed in Beaumaris 5 million years ago! Students participated in an activity called ‘Flesh and Bones’ where they were given images of fossils and were to then asked to sketch what these ancient Bayside species may have looked like. It was also fantastic for our class to be able to see and touch the fossils he finds.

If you are interested in finding out more about the fossils of Bayside

You might also like to follow the work of Ben Francischelli (Vertebrate Palaeontologist) on social media – Lost World of Bayside Fossils. His Instagram and Facebook posts are a great way to keep up to date with the local fossil discoveries.

Museum Excursion

The class also attended an excursion to Melbourne Museum to explore the amazing displays of prehistoric species and the evidence of their evolution. We had a particular focus on investigating the species that have existed in Victoria. Some highlights of this excursion was seeing the new Triceratops exhibition and seeing an iMAX documentary on the ‘Dinosaurs of Antarctica’.

Mr Steve Seddon

Teacher