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Investigating Invertebrates

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Todd Rogers

Little Desert National Park VIC Bush Blitz | Oct 2018

Today, I joined entomologists Claire and Simon from Museums Victoria and Arlee from University of New South Wales. On a rapidly warming morning, the team motored to the western edge of Little Desert National Park in search of any and all invertebrates.

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Armed with the white sheet and stick as per the previous hunt, we shook trees and shrubs and whacked branches to dislodge insects for collection. This time I was handed a pooter- a funnily named, simple but ingenious invention for capturing small specimens. Sucking on the rubber tube makes air (and hopefully the specimen) rush into the metal straw and then the plastic tube. A little piece of mesh blocks off the hole which leads to the rubber tube, luckily preventing anything already in the container from rushing up the rubber tube and into your mouth. Ingenious, simple to make and easy to use.

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Every collection was recorded including location, identified animal, GPS details, date and time. Some specimens were kept alive to take back for better identification and others were preserved in ethanol for later study by museum and university researchers.

ACTIVITY
This prehistoric-looking footprint was made in the wet mud around a water point at the far west end of Little Desert National Park. Let your imagination run wild and draw the creature which you think made it. For reference, the size was 15cm from front to back. Have fun!

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