Decipher our collections,
discover hidden archives
and contribute to knowledge

The Australian Museum Marine Invertebrates collection contains over 511,000 specimens and lots. The collection dates from the 1800s and is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, containing both wet and dry preserved specimens, microscope slides, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) preparations, photographic images, books, and journals.

Amphipoda are crustaceans without a carapace, meaning they lack a hard outer shell. They are mostly scavengers and can be found in nearly all aquatic environments, with over 9,900 known species. Their bodies are divided into 13 segments, which include a head, thorax, and abdomen. Most segments have swimming legs. The largest amphipod ever recorded was 28cm long, while the smallest was only 1mm. Amphipoda reproduce sexually through a process called amplexus, where the male fertilizes the female's eggs before they hatch into juveniles.

This expedition is part of the Australian Museum's Collection Enhancement Project (CEP). The CEP will result in new levels of access to the AM’s diverse collections, making digital images and meta data easily accessible to First Nations communities, scientists, researchers, students and individuals from Australia and abroad.