Online Database Reveals 3D Skeletons of Australia's Rare Wildlife

(MENAFN) Australia's rare and remarkable wildlife—past and present—can now be explored like never before, thanks to a groundbreaking online 3D database known as "Ozboneviz."

Created by Flinders University in collaboration with research partners, the digital archive stands as the nation’s most extensive open-access repository of 3D biodiversity data. More than 1,600 skeletal models of species including kangaroos, platypuses, emus, the extinct thylacine, and the elusive pig-footed bandicoot are featured, the Adelaide-based university announced on Wednesday.

The ambitious initiative used advanced scanning technologies and CT imaging to digitally preserve the skeletons of 189 iconic Australian animals. These models are freely available for non-commercial use on the MorphoSource platform, which provides museum-grade cataloging for each specimen, the university’s statement noted.

Structured light scanners were employed to capture most of the bone structures, while more delicate or extremely rare samples—such as the long-lost desert rat-kangaroo—were recorded using high-resolution computed tomography to visualize intricate internal anatomy, the team explained in BioScience, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences.

Additionally, a companion site on Sketchfab showcases over 500 of the most educationally valuable bones, enriched with interactive annotations to aid learning and exploration.

Project lead Associate Professor Vera Weisbecker from Flinders University emphasized the database's broader mission: to boost scientific research, educational outreach, and public engagement with Australia's extraordinary and frequently endangered wildlife.

"We are all fascinated by bones and this new database is a way to go behind the glass cases at the museum, see specimens up close and understand their special features," Weisbecker stated, highlighting Ozboneviz as a pioneering model for digital natural history collections worldwide.

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