Ancient Fossils of Kangaroo Island Featured on New Australia Post Stamps

Kangaroo Island’s ancient past has been brought to life through a new series of stamps released by Australia Post, showcasing detailed illustrations of 500-million-year-old fossils. The stamps, part of a collection titled “Creatures of the Palaeozoic,” feature artwork by Dr. Peter Trusler, based on the latest research into fossils discovered at Emu Bay.

The Emu Bay Shale deposit is unique in the southern hemisphere for its preservation of delicate, non-mineralised fossils, including the external skeletons and some internal soft tissues of ancient marine creatures. The fossils represent a period known as the Cambrian “explosion,” a significant moment in evolutionary history when most major animal groups first appeared, including those with primitive backbones.

Trusler’s illustrations depict four distinct creatures from this era: Nesonektris aldridgei, an 18cm long swimmer with a rudimentary backbone; the enigmatic “Emu Bay Shale monster,” a 4cm long worm-like creature distinguished by spines and stubby legs; Anomalocaris daleyae, a formidable predator reaching 50cm in length, equipped with large eyes and appendages for capturing prey; and Redlichia rex, the largest trilobite discovered from the period, measuring approximately 25cm long and possessing spiny legs used for crushing and shredding food.

The project drew heavily on the research of Dr. Diego Garcia-Bellido, a senior researcher at the South Australian Museum and associate professor at Adelaide University, and his team, as well as the operate of Professor John Paterson from the University of New England-Armidale. Garcia-Bellido provided Trusler with access to research papers, enabling the creation of scientifically informed depictions. “Obviously, we don’t know the colours so there’s a fair bit of artistic licence, but the images produced by Peter Trusler are as accurate as we can make them in 2026,” Garcia-Bellido said.

Trusler, who has previously illustrated other prehistoric-themed stamp issues for Australia Post – including those focused on dinosaurs in 1993, 2005, 2008 and 2022 – acknowledged the challenge of illustrating invertebrates. “I don’t have a strong background in (painting) invertebrates, so my learning curve was fairly steep,” he stated.

The Emu Bay site was originally discovered in the 1950s by South Australian scientist Reg Sprigg, who likewise played a key role in establishing the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary in the fossil-rich Flinders Ranges, at the request of Douglas Mawson. The illustrations created for the stamp series will also be displayed at the South Australian Museum. “As soon as visitors enter the museum, they will see these creatures in all their glory – you could not gain a better glimpse at such a long-gone world,” museum director Dr. Samantha Hamilton said.