The paleontology lab processes fossils large, like this diprotodon skull that’s almost a metre in length…

To microscopic fossils from small marsupials or bats – these are micro-bat skulls.

Everything needs to be sieved…

Sorted (sometimes via microscope, as with these tiny teeth and jaws)…

And then classified. This generally involves comparing the fossils to known species. Teeth are the most useful fossils for classification as they are unique for every species.

This is the lower jaw of a small marsupial species, similar to a kangaroo.

And this is another diprotodon jaw, but for a much smaller species as it fits in a 10 x 10cm box.

These fossils may then be formally described as part of university research. The best go to university or museum collections. It’s this kind of research that helps paint a picture of what ancient Australia was like thousands and millions of years ago.