Ask an expert

You can ask our helpful and knowledgeable staff questions about the museum as well as questions about Queensland’s animals, invertebrates, rocks, fossils, people and history.

Inquiries are limited to two per person/organisation per month. This is to ensure fair access to our service.

Please note, we can not provide a valuation of your object.

Queensland Museum does not answer any questions relating to medical entomology.

Please see our Collection Donations page

• Look, record but don’t touch - please don’t touch or disturb animals in their habitat as there is a risk of hurting yourself and/or the animal.
• Focus - make sure the specimen/animal/object is in focus.
• Scale - try and get something (a rule, pen coin etc) in for scale.
• Quantity - the more photos, the better. Try taking from different angles – capturing legs, head shape, spines, body, patterns etc.
• Location - tell us where the specimen/animal/object was found.
• Detail - for fossils, rocks and minerals, tell us as many interesting characteristics and features such as weight (in grams), size (in millimeters), whether it is magnetic or for minerals, if can it be scratched.

If possible, provide clear images or bring specimens to us in person. However, if you need to send it in and your animal is alive you will need to kill it by leaving it in a freezer for at least a day. Unless it is a hard-bodied insect that has already dried, you will need to prevent it rotting. Immerse it in methylated spirits for at least 2 days, then remove, and wrap in cotton wool. Place into a sturdy container with a tight-fitting lid (e.g. a small screw top plastic bottle).

We may be able to identify some fossils, rocks and minerals with good quality photographs and detailed information. It is vital that any queries about rocks or fossils include details of the location where the specimen was found. This information provides geological context for the specimen and can commonly give clues to its age. If we can’t assist you, we will endeavour to assist with other services of resources.

Please note that we do not return geological specimens by post.If you are sending a geological specimen, wrap up the item and place it into a padded postal bag, remembering to include a letter that has your name, contact details, where and when you collected the specimen.

Queensland Museum no longer accepts vertebrate specimens (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish) in person or via post for identification or collection purposes. You can submit high resolution photos of specimens to our experts. Please refer to our photography guidelines.

Always contact us first before sending cultural items. Never send unsolicited donations of any cultural items. Please leave Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural sites and objects as they are. The disturbance or relocation of cultural material can greatly diminish its cultural and scientific significance and it is also illegal. Queensland Museum does not enforce this legislation, but we strongly encourage you to leave such artefacts in their original location. For more information on the legislation protecting these sites and objects please refer to the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage website.

Queensland Museum no longer accepts vertebrate specimens (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish) in person or via post for identification or collection purposes. You can continue to submit photos of specimens to our experts via the form below.