A cutting-edge digital platform is opening up the inner world of Australia’s most iconic animals.
From platypus to bilbies, kangaroos to emus and even species long extinct—Ozboneviz offers educators, researchers and curious minds a whole new way to engage with our natural heritage.
Ozboneviz is an open-access digital archive showcasing highly detailed 3D models of vertebrate skeletons from Australia and New Guinea. The project was developed by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), with the goal of making biological research and education more accessible, reliable and data-rich.
Currently, the platform hosts over 1,600 digital files, featuring remarkable specimens such as a complete Ringtail possum skeleton and the skull of the extinct Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger). These scans not only preserve delicate and rare materials, but also make them freely available to anyone with an internet connection anywhere in the world.
In a country recognised as one of the most biodiverse on the planet, a tool like Ozboneviz is revolutionary. Australia’s long isolation as an island-continent has produced animals found nowhere else; marsupials with pouches, monotremes that lay eggs, and evolutionary conditions that puzzle scientists to this day. Capturing this diversity digitally is a giant leap forward in documenting and understanding our unique ecosystems.
Two people stand in front of a very complicated life plan with colored arrows. Photo courtesy of Unsplash.
Method to the Madness
Ozboneviz relies on state-of-the-art scanning techniques to create its digital models. Micro-CT (micro-computed tomography) provides incredibly fine-grained images of both the external and internal structures of specimens. Structured light scanning may also be used for larger or more delicate bones.
The raw data is then processed using 3D software such as MeshLab and Blender, where scans are cleaned, aligned, and converted into complete models. These are tagged with detailed metadata including species name, skeletal element, specimen ID, and, where known, age and sex—making them searchable and scientifically robust.
The project follows the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) ensuring that researchers, educators and students can access the content quickly, confidently, and ethically.
A researcher in a suit holds what looks to be a human skull. Photo courtesy of Unsplash.
Ozboneviz Databases could revolutionize Research and Education
What once required a visit to a museum or access to rare archives can now be done from a classroom, lab, or even a laptop at home. Ozboneviz offers high-resolution skeletal models of Australia’s animals at the click of a button helping scientists analyse form and function, and enabling teachers to bring biodiversity into the classroom like never before.
Whether it’s a primary school class learning about marsupials or a university researcher studying bone development across species, Ozboneviz provides an immersive experience that’s both educational and engaging. The database is also compatible with virtual and augmented reality platforms, offering even more opportunities for digital learning.
Though it currently covers only a portion of Australia’s wildlife, the project is growing. In years to come, we may see expanded collections, including entire taxonomic groups or even plant and insect life added to the mix. The potential for scientific collaboration and public engagement is enormous.
Advanced park area with futuristic towers in the distance and tons of diverse trees and plant life. Photo courtesy of Unsplash.
The Future of Ozboneviz and the Future of Biodiversity
Ozboneviz marks a major leap forward in the way we conserve, study, and share knowledge about the natural world. As biodiversity faces growing threats, digital initiatives like this one ensure that we can continue to learn from species long after they’re gone and protect those that remain.
While its current focus is skeletal modelling, the platform’s future may involve deeper integration with artificial intelligence. Ethically deployed, AI could help identify patterns, assist with conservation planning, or even predict how certain species will respond to environmental changes.
In that sense, Ozboneviz isn’t just a static archive, it’s a living, evolving tool for 21st-century science. And it’s proudly Australian.
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