Prehistoric creatures found in beds on Kangaroo Island are the focus of Australia Post’s newest stamp collection, The Creatures of the Palaeozoic.
The series is based on the latest research on the 512-million-year-old Emu Bay Shale fossils, first discovered by South Australian scientist Reg Sprigg in the 1950s.
Adelaide University and South Australian Museum Associate Professor Diego Garcia-Bellido, the museum’s Cambrian research team and University of New England palaeontologist Professor John Paterson have been researching and studying the creatures since 2007.
Associate Professor Garcia-Bellido provided artist Peter Trusler with his most recent research on the fossils to create the new scientific illustrations.
“There has been a lot of work done to identify what the animals fossilised at Emu Bay actually looked like,” said Associate Professor Garcia-Bellido.
“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 be in 2026.
“He’s so good.”
The stamps showcase animals including Nesonektris aldridgei, a spiny lobopodian (the “Emu Bay Shale monster”), Anomalocaris daleyae and Redlichia rex, which lived in the Palaeozoic Era, during the Cambrian Period, known for an explosion of complicated life forms.
Emu Bay Shale is the only known fossil site of its kind in Australia and the only place in the Southern Hemisphere where all the extraordinary creatures shown in the display can be found.
“I’ve had my eye on the significance of the Emu Bay site for some time,” said Trusler.
“The actual artwork started out as an oil painting – a 1m long painting – which took a couple of months to do.
“But I’ve found over my career that people love collecting these tiny (stamp) images.
“I don’t have a strong background in (painting) invertebrates, so my learning curve was fairly steep.
“South Australians are really lucky with all this wonderful fossil heritage from the Ediacara, to the megafauna and down to Emu Bay.”
Adelaide University Pro Vice Chancellor, College of Science Professor Nikki Stanford said she was proud of the research Associate Professor Garcia-Bellido and his team had achieved.
“We are excited to see this work captured in art and shared with the community through this Australia Post collection,” Professor Stanford said.
“It’s our hope that these wonderful images can attract renewed interest and wonder in our native world.”
Professor Paterson said the artwork was a culmination of nearly 20 years of research.
“I hope these stamps will highlight the importance of these ancient animals and inform the general public on the global significance of Australia’s spectacular palaeontological heritage,” he said.
To celebrate the collection, the South Australian Museum has unveiled a new display in its foyer, depicting 12 of the prehistoric creatures found in Emu Bay.
“The Creatures of the Palaeozoic display is an amazing collaboration between so many people, from researchers at the museum and Adelaide University, the artist Peter Trusler and Australia Post,” said SA Museum Director Dr Samantha Hamilton.
“As soon as visitors enter the museum, they will see these creatures in all their glory – you could not get a better glimpse at such along-gone world.
“The Australia Post stamp set beautiful and is sure to become a collectors’ item.”
The museum also hosts a permanent exhibition on the Emu Bay Fossil deposit; For more information on the stamp set and medallion, visit Australia Post.