Professor Rod Wells

Two major  areas of interest viz. Vertebrate Palaeontology and Vertebrate Ecology. My paleontological research has entailed expeditions to the Lake Eyre Basin, to the caves of southeastern Australia and Papua New Guinea. This research encompasses exploration, geological mapping, collection, preparation and description of vertebrate fossils leading to reconstruction of ancient environments and faunas. I discovered the Victoria Cave fossil deposits at Naracoorte in 1969 and was instrumental in taking this site to World Heritage status in 1994. My research into the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat led to the establishment of the Brookfield Wombat Reserve, now Brookfield Conservation Park. I continue with supervision of higher degree students involved in wombat related research.