The Legislative Assembly has formally adopted Batocara mitchelli, the most common trilobite in the ACT, as the Territory’s fossil emblem.

The Batocara mitchelli was chosen as the ACT’s fossil emblem in October 2020 following a public vote where it received more than 1,100 votes (around 30 per cent of the vote).

• Batocara mitchelli chosen as ACT fossil emblem (21 October 2020)

Batocara mitchelli is a trilobite from an extinct group of marine anthropods – the same group as spiders, scorpions, and crabs. They appeared during the Cambrian, and became extinct 250 million years ago, during the Permian–Triassic extinction event at the end of the Palaeozoic Era.

The Batocara mitchelli is commonly found as fragments, but a complete specimen was found while drilling the foundations of the John Gorton Building in the 1940s.

The ACT is the fourth Australian jurisdiction to boast its very own fossil anthem, joining New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia.

The fossil emblem joins the floral, faunal, and mammal emblems for the ACT: the royal bluebell, the gang-gang cockatoo, and the southern brush-tailed rock wallaby.

The adoption of a state or territory emblem can be used to raise public awareness and conservation support of a species. All ACT emblems have no legislative requirements surrounding their use. They can be used by anyone on their publications, uniforms, or websites.

For more information on the ACT’s emblems, please visit the website.