Dr Steve Salisbury is an Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Queensland, where he is head of the UQ Dinosaur Lab and Chair of First Nations Engagement. He is also Research Associate at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, Associate Editor for the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, and a Scientific Board member of the Jurassic Foundation.
Steve studied biology and geology at the University of Sydney, receiving the Edgeworth David Award for Palaeontology in 1993. He then moved to the University of New South Wales (UNSW), where he completed his Honours thesis on fossil crocodilians from Murgon, south-eastern Queensland. Continuing at the UNSW, Steve travelled to Germany and the UK to complete a PhD on crocodilian locomotor evolution. He returned to Australia in 2000 to pursue a life-long dream of searching for Australian dinosaurs, and joined The University of Queensland in 2003 as a Postdoctoral Fellow.
Steve's research focuses on the evolution of Gondwanan continental vertebrates, in particular dinosaurs and crocodilians. He is also interested in vertebrate biomechanics and using extant animals to better understand the anatomy, behaviour and evolution of extinct ones. His field-based research takes him to various parts of Queensland, the Kimberley, New Zealand and Antarctica.
The results of Steve's research have been widely covered in the media, and he provides regular commentary on palaeontological research via the Australian Science Media Centre. His research has been the impetus for the establishment of a $1.5 million interpretive centre in the outback town of Isisford, central-western Queensland, and recently helped to secure National Heritage Listing of dinosaur tracks on the Dampier Peninsula, north of Broome, which subsequently contributed to the collapse of a $40+ billion LNG development.
Steve's honours include the Rea Postdoctoral Fellowship (2007-2009, Carnegie Museum of Natural History), an Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship (Industry) (2003-2006, The University of Queensland), an Australian Postgraduate Award (1995-1998, University of NSW), a Postgraduate Research Scholarship (1996-1998, German Academic Exchange Service) and The Banks Alecto Fellowship (1996-1997, The Royal Society, London). He has also received research funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Australian Geographic Society, the Linnean Society of NSW, Isisford Shire Council, Longreach Regional Council, Winton Sire Council, Queensland Museum, The Western Australian Greens, The Wilderness Society and Land Rover Australia.
Journal Article: Detrital zircon age constraints for the Winton Formation, Queensland: contextualizing Australia's Late Cretaceous dinosaur faunas
Tucker, Ryan T., Roberts, Eric M., Hu, Yi, Kemp, Anthony I. S. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2013). Detrital zircon age constraints for the Winton Formation, Queensland: contextualizing Australia's Late Cretaceous dinosaur faunas. Gondwana Research, 24 (2), 767-779. doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2012.12.009
Leahey, Lucy G. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2013). First evidence of ankylosaurian dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) from the mid-Cretaceous (late Albian-Cenomanian) Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia. Alcheringa, 37 (2), 249-257. doi: 10.1080/03115518.2013.743703
Romilio, Anthony, Tucker, Ryan T. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2013). Reevaluation of the Lark Quarry Dinosaur Tracksite (Late Albian-Cenomanian Winton Formation, Central-Western Queensland, Australia): No Longer a Stampede?. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33 (1), 102-120. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2012.694591
Walking with dinosaurs in the Kimberley: mapping the Cretaceous landscapes of the Dampier Peninsula
(2014–2017) ARC Discovery Projects
(2012–2015) Flinders University
(2010–2023) Isisford Shire Council
(2022) Doctor Philosophy
Distribution, abundance, and palaeoecological insights into theropod tracks of the Broome Sandstone, Western Australia
Doctor Philosophy
New insights into the preservation of the Cretaceous vertebrate fauna of the Eromanga Basin in Central West Queensland
Doctor Philosophy
Postgraduate projects (Honours and PhD) in the Vertebrate Palaeontology and Biomechanics Lab:
Our lab’s research focuses on the evolution of Gondwanan continental vertebrates, in particular dinosaurs and crocodilians. We are also interested in vertebrate biomechanics and using extant animals to better understand the anatomy, behaviour and evolution of extinct ones.
Tucker, Ryan T., Roberts, Eric M., Hu, Yi, Kemp, Anthony I. S. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2013). Detrital zircon age constraints for the Winton Formation, Queensland: contextualizing Australia's Late Cretaceous dinosaur faunas. Gondwana Research, 24 (2), 767-779. doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2012.12.009
Leahey, Lucy G. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2013). First evidence of ankylosaurian dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) from the mid-Cretaceous (late Albian-Cenomanian) Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia. Alcheringa, 37 (2), 249-257. doi: 10.1080/03115518.2013.743703
Romilio, Anthony, Tucker, Ryan T. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2013). Reevaluation of the Lark Quarry Dinosaur Tracksite (Late Albian-Cenomanian Winton Formation, Central-Western Queensland, Australia): No Longer a Stampede?. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33 (1), 102-120. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2012.694591
Salisbury, Steven W. and Naish, Darren (2011). Crocodilians. English Wealden Fossils. (pp. 305-369) edited by David Batten and Philip D. Lane. Aberystwyth, Wales, U.K.: Paleontological Association.
Crocodilians of the Crato Formation: evidence for enigmatic species
Frey, E. and Salisbury, S. W. (2007). Crocodilians of the Crato Formation: evidence for enigmatic species. The Crato Fossil Beds of Brazil - Window into an Ancient World. (pp. 463-474) edited by Martill, D. M., Bechly, G. and Loveridge, R. F.. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511535512.017
Observations on Cretaceous Sauropods from Australia
Molnar, R. E. and Salisbury, S. W. (2005). Observations on Cretaceous Sauropods from Australia. Thunder-Lizards: the sauropodomorph dinosaurs. (pp. 454-465) edited by Kenneth Carpenter and Virginia Tidwell. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.
Salisbury. S. W. and Frey, E. (2001). A biomechanical transformation model for the evolution of semi-spheroidal articulations between adjoining vertebral bodies in crocodilians. Crocodilian biology and evolution. (pp. 121-148) edited by Gordon C. Grigg, Frank Seebacher and Craig E. Franklink. Chipping Norton, NSW, Australia: Surrey Beatty & Sons.
The kinematics of aquatic locomotion in Osteolaemus tetraspis Cope
Frey, E. and Salisbury, S. W. (2001). The kinematics of aquatic locomotion in Osteolaemus tetraspis Cope. Crocodilian biology and evolution. (pp. 165-179) edited by Gordon C. Grigg, Frank Seebacher and Craig E. Franklin. Chipping Norton, NSW, Australia: Surrey Beatty & Sons.
Ristevski, Jorgo, Willis, Paul M. A., Yates, Adam M., White, Matt A., Hart, Lachlan J., Stein, Michael D., Price, Gilbert J. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2023). Migrations, diversifications and extinctions: the evolutionary history of crocodyliforms in Australasia. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 1-46. doi: 10.1080/03115518.2023.2201319
Roberts, Eric M., O’Connor, Patrick M., Clarke, Julia A., Slotznick, Sarah P., Placzek, Christa J., Tobin, Thomas S., Hannaford, Carey, Orr, Theresa, Jinnah, Zubair A., Claeson, Kerin M., Salisbury, Steven, Kirschvink, Joseph L., Pirrie, Duncan and Lamanna, Matthew C. (2023). New age constraints support a K/Pg boundary interval on Vega Island, Antarctica: Implications for latest Cretaceous vertebrates and paleoenvironments. Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 135 (3-4), 867-885. doi: 10.1130/B36422.1
Cranial anatomy of the mekosuchine crocodylian Trilophosuchus rackhami Willis, 1993
Ristevski, Jorgo, Weisbecker, Vera, Scanlon, John D., Price, Gilbert J. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2022). Cranial anatomy of the mekosuchine crocodylian Trilophosuchus rackhami Willis, 1993. The Anatomical Record, 306 (2), 239-297. doi: 10.1002/ar.25050
Softening the steps to gigantism in sauropod dinosaurs through the evolution of a pedal pad
Jannel, Andréas, Salisbury, Steven W. and Panagiotopoulou, Olga (2022). Softening the steps to gigantism in sauropod dinosaurs through the evolution of a pedal pad. Science Advances, 8 (32) eabm8280, 1-14. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abm8280
Worthy, Trevor H., Scofield, R. Paul, Salisbury, Steven W., Hand, Suzanne J., De Pietri, Vanesa L. and Archer, Michael (2022). Two new neoavian taxa with contrasting palaeobiogeographical implications from the early Miocene St Bathans Fauna, New Zealand. Journal of Ornithology, 163 (3), 643-658. doi: 10.1007/s10336-022-01981-6
Worthy, Trevor H., Scofield, R. Paul, Salisbury, Steven W., Hand, Suzanne J., De Pietri, Vanesa L., Blokland, Jacob C. and Archer, Michael (2022). A new species of Manuherikia (Aves: Anatidae) provides evidence of faunal turnover in the St Bathans Fauna, New Zealand. Geobios, 70, 87-107. doi: 10.1016/j.geobios.2021.08.002
Romilio, Anthony, Klein, Hendrik, Jannel, Andréas and Salisbury, Steven W. (2022). Saurischian dinosaur tracks from the Upper Triassic of southern Queensland: possible evidence for Australia’s earliest sauropodomorph trackmaker. Historical Biology, 34 (9), 1834-1843. doi: 10.1080/08912963.2021.1984447
Richards, Timothy M., Stumkat, Paul E. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2021). A new species of crested pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueridae) from the Lower Cretaceous (upper Albian) of Richmond, North West Queensland, Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 41 (3) e1946068, e1946068. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2021.1946068
First record of a tomistomine crocodylian from Australia
Ristevski, Jorgo, Price, Gilbert J., Weisbecker, Vera and Salisbury, Steven W. (2021). First record of a tomistomine crocodylian from Australia. Scientific Reports, 11 (1) 12158 , 12158. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-91717-y
Romilio, Anthony, Salisbury, Steven W. and Jannel, Andréas (2021). Footprints of large theropod dinosaurs in the Middle–UpperJurassic (lower Callovian–lower Tithonian) Walloon Coal Measures of southern Queensland, Australia. Historical Biology, 33 (10), 2135-2146. doi: 10.1080/08912963.2020.1772252
Ristevski, Jorgo , Yates, Adam M. , Price, Gilbert J. , Molnar, Ralph E. , Weisbecker, Vera and Salisbury, Steven W. (2020). Australia’s prehistoric ‘swamp king’: revision of the Plio-Pleistocene crocodylian genus Pallimnarchus de Vis, 1886. PeerJ, 8 e10466, e10466. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10466
A review of Australia’s Mesozoic fishes
Berrell, Rodney W., Boisvert, Catherine, Trinajstic, Kate, Siversson, Mikael, Alvarado-Ortega, Jesús, Cavin, Lionel, Salisbury, Steven W. and Kemp, Anne (2020). A review of Australia’s Mesozoic fishes. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 44 (2), 1-26. doi: 10.1080/03115518.2019.1701078
Hart, Lachlan J., Bell, Phil R., Smith, Elizabeth T. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2019). Isisfordia molnari sp. nov., a new basal eusuchian from the mid-Cretaceous of Lightning Ridge, Australia. PeerJ, 7 (6) e7166, e7166. doi: 10.7717/peerj.7166
Jannel, Andréas, Nair, Jay P., Panagiotopoulou, Olga, Romilio, Anthony and Salisbury, Steven W. (2019). “Keep your feet on the ground”: simulated range of motion and hind foot posture of the Middle Jurassic sauropod Rhoetosaurus brownei and its implications for sauropod biology. Journal of Morphology, 280 (6) jmor.20989, 849-878. doi: 10.1002/jmor.20989
Fletcher, Tamara L., Moss, Patrick T. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2018). The palaeoenvironment of the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation, Queensland, Australia. PeerJ, 6 (9) e5513, e5513. doi: 10.7717/peerj.5513
A standard protocol for documenting modern and fossil ichnological data
Falkingham, Peter L., Bates, Karl T., Avanzini, Marco, Bennett, Matthew, Bordy, Emese M., Breithaupt, Brent H., Castanera, Diego, Citton, Paolo, Díaz-Martínez, Ignacio, Farlow, Jim O., Fiorillo, Anthony R., Gatesy, Stephen M., Getty, Patrick, Hatala, Kevin G., Hornung, Jahn J., Hyatt, James A., Klein, Hendrik, Lallensack, Jens N., Martin, Anthony J., Marty, Daniel, Matthews, Neffra A., Meyer, Christian A., Milàn, Jesper, Minter, Nicholas J., Razzolini, Novella L., Romilio, Anthony, Salisbury, Steven W., Sciscio, Lara, Tanaka, Ikuko ... Belvedere, Matteo (2018). A standard protocol for documenting modern and fossil ichnological data. Palaeontology, 61 (4), 469-480. doi: 10.1111/pala.12373
Syme, Caitlin E. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2018). Taphonomy of Isisfordia duncani specimens from the Lower Cretaceous (upper Albian) portion of the Winton Formation, Isisford, central-west Queensland. Royal Society Open Science, 5 (171651) 171651, 171651. doi: 10.1098/rsos.171651
Herne, Matthew C., Tait, Alan M., Weisbecker, Vera, Hall, Michael, Nair, Jay P., Cleeland, Michael and Salisbury, Steven W. (2018). A new small-bodied ornithopod (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from a deep, high-energy Early Cretaceous river of the Australian-Antarctic rift system. PeerJ, 5 (1) e4113, 1-77. doi: 10.7717/peerj.4113
Hand, Suzanne J, Beck, Robin M D, Archer, Michael, Simmons, Nancy B, Gunnell, Gregg F, Scofield, R Paul, Tennyson, Alan J D, De Pietri, Vanesa L, Salisbury, Steven W and Worthy, Trevor H (2018). A new, large-bodied omnivorous bat (Noctilionoidea: Mystacinidae) reveals lost morphological and ecological diversity since the Miocene in New Zealand. Scientific reports, 8 (1) 235, 1-11. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-18403-w
Tucker, Ryan T., Roberts, Eric M., Darlington, Vikie and Salisbury, Steven W. (2017). Investigating the stratigraphy and palaeoenvironments for a suite of newly discovered mid-Cretaceous vertebrate fossil-localities in the Winton Formation, Queensland, Australia. Sedimentary Geology, 358, 210-229. doi: 10.1016/j.sedgeo.2017.05.004
Salisbury, Steven W., Romilio, Anthony, Herne, Matthew C., Tucker, Ryan T. and Nair, Jay P. (2017). The Dinosaurian ichnofauna of the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian–Barremian) Broome Sandstone of the Walmadany Area (James Price Point), Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 36 (sup1), 1-152. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2016.1269539
Romilio, Anthony, Hacker, Jorg M., Zlot, Robert, Poropat, George, Bosse, Michael and Salisbury, Steven W. (2017). A multidisciplinary approach to digital mapping of dinosaurian tracksites in the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian-Barremian) Broome sandstone of the Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia. PeerJ, 2017 (3) e3013, e3013. doi: 10.7717/peerj.3013
Syme, Caitlin E., Welsh, Kevin J., Roberts, Eric M. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2016). Depositional environment of the Lower Cretaceous (upper Albian) Winton formation at Isisford, central-west Queensland, Australia, inferred from sandstone concretions. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 86 (9), 1067-1082. doi: 10.2110/jsr.2016.67
Herne, M. C., Tait, A. M. and Salisbury, S. W. (2016). Sedimentological reappraisal of the Leaellynasaura amicagraphica (Dinosauria, Ornithopoda) holotype locality in the Lower Cretaceous of Victoria, Australia with taphonomic implications for the taxon. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin, 71, 121-148.
Leahey, Lucy G., Molnar, Ralph E., Carpenter, Kenneth, Witmer, Lawrence M. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2015). Cranial osteology of the ankylosaurian dinosaur formerly known as Minmi sp (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) from the Lower Cretaceous Allaru Mudstone of Richmond, Queensland, Australia. PeerJ, 3 (e1475) e1475, 1-47. doi: 10.7717/peerj.1475
Hand, Suzanne J., Lee, Daphne E., Worthy, Trevor H., Archer, Michael, Worthy, Jennifer P., Tennyson, Alan J. D., Salisbury, Steven W., Scofield, R. Paul, Mildenhall, Dallas C., Kennedy, Elizabeth M. and Lindqvist, Jon K. (2015). Miocene fossils reveal ancient roots for New Zealand's endemic Mystacina (Chiroptera) and its rainforest habitat. PLoS One, 10 (6) e0128871, 1-19. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128871
Fletcher, Tamara L., Moss, Patrick T. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2015). Wood growth indices as climate indicators from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation, Australia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 417, 35-43. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.10.012
Hanson, Jeffrey O., Salisbury, Steven W., Campbell, Hamish A., Dwyer, Ross G., Jardine, Timothy D. and Franklin, Craig E. (2014). Feeding across the food web: The interaction between diet, movement and body size in estuarine crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus). Austral Ecology, 40 (3), 275-286. doi: 10.1111/aec.12212
Syme, Caitlin E. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2014). Patterns of aquatic decay and disarticulation in juvenile Indo-Pacific crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus), and implications for the taphonomic interpretation of fossil crocodyliform material. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 412, 108-123. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.07.031
Fletcher, Tamara L., Cantrill, David J., Moss, Patrick T. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2014). A new species of Protophyllocladoxylon from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation, central-western Queensland, Australia. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 208, 43-49. doi: 10.1016/j.revpalbo.2014.05.004
Romilio, Anthony and Salisbury, Steven W. (2014). Large dinosaurian tracks from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation, Lark Quarry, central-western Queensland, Australia: 3D photogrammetric analysis renders the 'stampede trigger' scenario unlikely. Cretaceous Research, 51, 186-207. doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2014.06.003
Aquatic locomotor kinematics of the Eastern Water Dragon (Intellagama lesueurii)
Ringma, Jeremy L. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2014). Aquatic locomotor kinematics of the Eastern Water Dragon (Intellagama lesueurii). Journal of Herpetology, 48 (2), 240-248. doi: 10.1670/12-041
Fletcher, Tamara L. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2014). Probable oribatid mite (Acari: Oribatida) tunnels and faecal pellets in silicified conifer wood from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation, central-western Queensland, Australia. Alcheringa, 38 (4), 541-545. doi: 10.1080/03115518.2014.912557
Fletcher, Tamara L., Moss, Patrick T. and Salisbury, Stephen W. (2014). Foliar physiognomic climate estimates for the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) Lark Quarry fossil flora, central-western Queensland, Australia. Australian Journal of Botany, 61 (8), 575-582. doi: 10.1071/BT13197
Fletcher, Tamara, Greenwood, David R., Moss, Patrick T. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2014). Paleoclimate of the late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation, Central-Western Queensland, Australia: new observations based on clamp and bioclimatic analysis. Palaios, 29 (3), 121-128. doi: 10.2110/palo.2013.080
Tucker, Ryan T., Roberts, Eric M., Hu, Yi, Kemp, Anthony I. S. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2013). Detrital zircon age constraints for the Winton Formation, Queensland: contextualizing Australia's Late Cretaceous dinosaur faunas. Gondwana Research, 24 (2), 767-779. doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2012.12.009
Delfino, Massimo, Scheyer, Torsten M., Chesi, Francesco, Fletcher, Tamara, Gemel, Richard, MacDonald, Stewart, Rabi, Márton and Salisbury, Steven W. (2013). Gross morphology and microstructure of type locality ossicles of Psephophorus polygonus Meyer, 1847 (Testudines, Dermochelyidae). Geological Magazine, 150 (5), 767-782. doi: 10.1017/S001675681200091X
Berrell, Rodney W., Alvarado-Ortega, Jesús, Yabumoto, Yoshitaka and Salisbury, Steven W. (2013). First record of the ichthyodectiform fish Cladocyclus from eastern Gondwana: an articulated skeleton from the Early Cretaceous of Queensland, Australia. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 59 (4), 903-920. doi: 10.4202/app.2012.0019
Leahey, Lucy G. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2013). First evidence of ankylosaurian dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) from the mid-Cretaceous (late Albian-Cenomanian) Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia. Alcheringa, 37 (2), 249-257. doi: 10.1080/03115518.2013.743703
Romilio, Anthony, Tucker, Ryan T. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2013). Reevaluation of the Lark Quarry Dinosaur Tracksite (Late Albian-Cenomanian Winton Formation, Central-Western Queensland, Australia): No Longer a Stampede?. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33 (1), 102-120. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2012.694591
Nair, Jay P. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2012). New anatomical information on Rhoetosaurus Brownei Longman, 1926, a Gravisaurian Sauropodomorph Dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Queensland, Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 32 (2), 369-394. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2012.622324
Stein, Michael, Salisbury, Steven W., Hand, Suzanne J., Archer, Michael and Godthelp, Henk (2012). Humeral morphology of the early Eocene mekosuchine crocodylian Kambara from the Tingamarra Local Fauna southeastern Queensland, Australia. Alcheringa, 36 (4), 473-486. doi: 10.1080/03115518.2012.671697
Romilio, Anthony and Salisbury, Steven W. (2011). A reassessment of large theropod dinosaur tracks from the mid-Cretaceous (late Albian-Cenomanian) Winton Formation of Lark Quarry, central-western Queensland, Australia: A case for mistaken identity. Cretaceous Research, 32 (2), 135-142. doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2010.11.003
New pterosaur fossils from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) of Queensland, Australia
Fletcher, Tamara L. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2010). New pterosaur fossils from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) of Queensland, Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 30 (6), 1747-1759. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2010.521929
Comment on "A southern tyrant reptile"
Herne, Matthew C., Nair, Jay P. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2010). Comment on "A southern tyrant reptile". Science, 329 (5995), 1013c-1013c. doi: 10.1126/science.1190100
Agnolin, Federico L.., Ezcurra, Martin D., Pais, Diego F. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2010). A reappraisal of the cretaceous non-avian dinosaur faunas from Australia and New Zealand: Evidence for their Gondwanan affinities. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 8 (2), 257-300. doi: 10.1080/14772011003594870
Common Avian Infection Plagued the Tyrant Dinosaurs
Wolff, Ewan D. S., Salisbury, Steven W., Horner, John R. and Varricchio, David J. (2009). Common Avian Infection Plagued the Tyrant Dinosaurs. PLoS One, 4 (9) e7288, e7288.1-e7288.7. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0007288
Smith, Nathan D., Makovicky, Peter J., Agnolin, Federico L., Ezcurra, Martin D., Pais, Diego F. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2008). A Megaraptor-like theropod (Dinosauria: Tetanurae) in Australia: support for faunal exchange across eastern and western Gondwana in the Mid-Cretaceous. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B - Containing Papers of a Biological Character, 275 (1647), 2085-2093. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0504
A critical reassessment of the cretaceous non-avian dinosaur faunas of Australia and New Zealand
Salisbury, S. W., Agnolin, F., Ezcurra, M. and Pias, D. (2007). A critical reassessment of the cretaceous non-avian dinosaur faunas of Australia and New Zealand. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 27 (Supplement No. 3), 138A-138A.
Buchy, M. C., Frey, E., Salisbury, S. W., Stinnesbeck, W., Lopez-Oliva, J. G. and Gotte, M. (2006). An unusual pliosaur (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) from the Kimmeridgian (Upper Jurassic) of northeastern Mexico. Neues Jahrbuch fuer Geologie und Palaeontologie. Abhandlungen, 240 (2), 241-270.
Stilwell, J. D., Consoli, C. P., Sutherland, R., Salisbury, S., Rich, T. H., Vickers-Rich, P. A., Currie, P. J. and Wilson, G. J. (2006). Dinosaur sanctuary on the Chatham Islands, Southwest Pacific: First record of theropods from the K-T boundary Takatika Grit. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, 230 (3-4), 243-250. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.07.017
Buchy, M. C., Frey, E. and Salisbury, S. W. (2006). The internal cranial anatomy of the Plesiosauria (Reptilia, Sauropterygia): evidence for a functional secondary palate. Lethaia, 39 (4), 289-303. doi: 10.1080/00241160600847488
The origin of modern crocodyliforms: new evidence from the Cretaceous of Australia
Salisbury,Steven W., Molnar,Ralph E., Frey, Eberhard and Willis, Paul M. A. (2006). The origin of modern crocodyliforms: new evidence from the Cretaceous of Australia. Proceedings of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 273 (1600), 2439-2448. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3613
Schwarz, Daniela and Salisbury, Steven W. (2005). A new species of Theriosuchus (Atoposauridae, Crocodylomorpha) from the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) of Guimarota, Portugal. Geobios, 38 (6), 779-802. doi: 10.1016/j.geobios.2004.04.005
Holt, Timothy R., Salisbury, Steven W. and Willis, Paul M. A. (2005). A new species of mekosuchine crocodilian from the middle Palaeogene Rundle Formation, central Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 50 (2), 207-218.
Review of "A Field Guide To Dinosaurs" [Book Review]
Salisbury, S. (2004). Review of "A Field Guide To Dinosaurs" [Book Review]. Nature Australia, 27 (12), 80-80.
The epaxial musculature of fossil crocodilians
Salisbury, S. W. and Frey, E. (2004). The epaxial musculature of fossil crocodilians. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 24 (3, Supp.), 107A-107A.
An alternative method for predicting body mass: the case of the Pleistocene marsupial lion
Wroe, Stephen, Myers, Troy, Seebacher, Frank, Kear, Ben, Gillespie, Anna, Crowther, Mathew and Salisbury, Steve (2003). An alternative method for predicting body mass: the case of the Pleistocene marsupial lion. Paleobiology, 29 (3), 403-411. doi: 10.1666/0094-8373(2003)029<0403:AAMFPB>2.0.CO;2
A new crocodilian from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of north-eastern Brazil
Salisbury, S. W., Frey, E., Martill, D. M. and Buchy, M. C. (2003). A new crocodilian from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of north-eastern Brazil. Palaeontographica. Abteilung A, Palaozoologie - Stratigraphie, 270 (1-3), 3-47.
Salisbury, S. (2003). Clash of the titans. Nature Australia, 27 (7), 44-51.
On the shoulders of a giant: the story of Elliot, Australia's largest dinosaur
Salisbury, S. (2003). On the shoulders of a giant: the story of Elliot, Australia's largest dinosaur. Australian Age of Dinosaurs (1), 12-21.
Salisbury, S. (2003). The fuzzy frontier. Nature Australia, 27 (10), 34-43.
Salisbury, S. W. (2002). Crocodilians from the lower Cretaceous (Berriasian) Purbeck Limestone Group of Dorset, southern England. Special Papers in Palaeontology :Life And Environments In Purbeck Times, 68 (68), 121-144.
Rossman, T., Berg, D. E. and Salisbury, S. W. (1999). Studies on Cenozoic crocodiles: 3. Gavialosuchus cf. gaudensis (Eusuchia: Tomistomidae) from the Lower Miocene of south Germany. Neues Jahrbuch fuer Geologie und Palaeontologie. Monatshefte (6), 321-330.
The crocodilian Goniopholis simus from the Lower Cretaceous of north-western Germany
Salisbury, S. W., Willis, P. M. A., Peitz, S. and Sander, P. M. (1999). The crocodilian Goniopholis simus from the Lower Cretaceous of north-western Germany. Special Papers in Palaeontology, 60 (60), 121-148.
Salisbury, SW and Willis, PMA (1997). A new crocodilylian from the Early Eocene of southeastern Queensland and a preliminary investigation of phylogenetic relationships of crocodyloids. (vol 20, pg 179, 1996). Alcheringa, 21 (3-4), 218-218. doi: 10.1080/03115519708619174
Salisbury, S. W. and Willis, P. M. A. (1996). A new crocodylian from the early Eocene of southeastern Queensland and a preliminary investigation of the phylogenetic relationships of crocodyloids. Alcheringa: an Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 20 (3), 179-226. doi: 10.1080/03115519608619189
Salisbury, S. W., Romilio, A. and Hacker, J. (2016). 3D digital analysis of non-avian dinosaur tracksites at Lark Quarry and Minyirr: implications for understanding Australia's Cretaceous dinosaurian fauna. Palaeo Down Under 2, Adelaide, SA, Australia, July 2016. Sydney Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Syme, C. E., Salisbury, S. W., Welsh, K. J. and Roberts, E. M. (2016). Living by the Eromanga Sea: taphonomy of crocodyliform and osteichthyan fossils from the Lower Cretaceous Winton Formation at Isisford, Queensland. Palaeo Down Under 2, Adelaide Australia, July 2016. Sydney, NSW Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Romilio, A., Hacker, J. and Salisbury, S. W. (2016). New approaches to evaluating the Australian dinosaur tracksites of Lark Quarry, Queensland and of the Broome Sandstone, Western Australia. Spring Meeting of the Korean Earth Science Society and Gyeongnam Goseong International Dinosaur Symposium, Gyeongnam, South Korea, 2016. Seoul, South Korea: Gyeongnam Educational Welfare Center.
Gray, S., Romilio, A., Hacker, J., Chamberlain, P. and Salisbury, S. W. (2016). Palaeoenvironmental setting of non-avian dinosaur tracks in the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian–Barremian) Broome Sandstone of Reddell Beach, Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia. Palaeo Down Under 2, Adelaide, Australia, July 2016. Sydney, Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Jannel, Andréas, Panagiotopoulou, Olga, Romilio, Anthony , Nair, Jay P. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2016). Reconstruction of the motion and hindfoot posture of Rhoetosaurus brownei Longman, 1926 (Sauropoda, Gravisauria). The Palaeontological Association 60th Annual Meeting, Université Claude Bernard Lyon, Lyon, France, 79, 14-17 December, 2016.
Jannel, A., Panagiotopoulou, O., Romilio, A., Nair, J. P. and Salisbury, S. W. (2016). Simulated range of motion and hindfoot posture of Rhoetosaurus brownei Longman, 1926 (Sauropoda, Gravisauria). Palaeo Down Under 2, Adelaide Australia, July 2016. Sydney, NSW Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Ichnological evidence for diverse pedal postures in ornithopodan dinosaurs
Romilio, Anthony and Salisbury, Steven (2014). Ichnological evidence for diverse pedal postures in ornithopodan dinosaurs. The 74th Annual Meeting of Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) conference, Berlin, Germany, 5–8 November 2014. doi: 10.13140/2.1.1953.2485
Dinosaur tracks from the Walmadany area (James Price Point), Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia
Salisbury, Steven W., Romilio, Anthony, Herne, Matthew C., Tucker, Ryan T. and Nair, Jay P. (2013). Dinosaur tracks from the Walmadany area (James Price Point), Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia. 14th Conference on Australasian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 30 September - 4 October 2013. Adelaide South Australia: Flinders University.
Miocene fossils show that kiwi (Apteryx, Apterygidae) are probably not phyletic dwarves
Worthy, Trevor H., Worthy, Jennifer P., Tennyson, Alan J. D., Salisbury, Steven W., Hand, Suzanne J. and Scofield, R. Paul (2013). Miocene fossils show that kiwi (Apteryx, Apterygidae) are probably not phyletic dwarves. 8th International Meeting of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution, Vienna, Austria, 11-16 June, 2012. Wien, Österreich: Naturhistorisches Museum Wien.
Romilio, A. and Salisbury, S. W. (2013). Three-dimensional analysis of the largest tracks from the Lark Quarry dinosaur tracksite, central-western Queensland. CAVEPS Flinders University, Adelaide 2013, 14th Conference on Australasian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics, Adelaide, Australia, 30 September - 4 October 2013. Adelaide, Australia: Flinders University.
A fossil kiwi (Apterygiformes) from the early miocene St Bathans Fauna, New Zealand
Worthy, Trevor H., Tennyson, Alan J. D., Salisbury, Steven, Hand, Suzanne J. and Scofield, R. Paul (2012). A fossil kiwi (Apterygiformes) from the early miocene St Bathans Fauna, New Zealand. 8th International Meeting of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution, Vienna, Austria, 11-16 June, 2012. Wien, Österreich: Naturhistorisches Museum Wien.
Fletcher, Tamara, Moss, Patrick and Salisbury, Steven (2012). Palaeoclimate of the mid-Cretaceous Winton Formation, central-western Queensland, Australia: new observations based on Leaf Margin Analysis, CLAMP, Bioclimatic Analysis and fossil wood growth indices. 34th International Geological Congress 2012 (IGC), Brisbane, Australia, 5–10 August 2012. Australia: Australian Geosciences Council.
Romilio, Anthony and Salisbury, S. W. (2012). Re-interpretation of the dinosaur track-maker identities and tracksite scenario at Lark Quarry, of the mid-Cretaceous (late Albian-Cenomanian) Winton Formation, central-western Queensland, Australia. Dinosaur Tracks 2011. An International Symposium, Obernkirchen, April 14–17, 2011. Abstract Volume and Field Guide to Excursions, Obernkirchen, Germany, 14–17 April 2011. Gottingen, Germany: Universitatsverlag Gottingen.
Romilio, A. and Salisbury, S. (2011). Re-examination of the Lark Quarry dinosaur tracksite reveals an absence of tracks referable to nonavian theropods. Geological Survey of Western Australia 2011, CAVEPS Perth 2011, 13th Conference on Australasian Vertebrate Evolution Palaeontology and Systematics, Perth, Australia, 27–30 April 2011. Perth, Australia: Geological Survey of Western Australia, Record 2011/9.
Nair, Jay P. and Salisbury, Steven W. (2009). New anatomical information on Rhoetosaurus brownei (Dinosauria: Eusauropoda), from the Jurassic Injune Creek Group, near Roma, Queensland, Australia. 12th Conference on Australasian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics 2009, Sydney , Australia, June 22-June 25, 2009. Sydney, NSW, Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Berrell, R. W., Salisbury, S. W. and Yabumoto, Y. (2007). A new freshwater fish (Teleostei: Ichthyodectiformes) from the mid-Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) Winton Formation of Isisford, central-western Queensland, Australia.. 11th Conference on Australian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics, 2007, Melbourne Convention Centre Melbourne Australia, April, 2007. Sydney, Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Faggotter, S. J., Salisbury, S. W. and Yabumoto, Y. (2007). A new possible haleocomorph fish from the mid-Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) Winton Formation of Isisford, central-western Queensland, Australia. 11th Conference on Australian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics, 2007, Melbourne, Australia, April, 2007. Sydney Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Faggotter, S. J. and Faggotter, S. J. (2007). A new possible haleocomorph fish from the mid-Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) Winton Formation of Isisford, central-western Queensland, Australia. Conference on Australian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics, 2007, Brisbane, Brisbane. NORTHBROOK: SOC VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY.
Biomechanics of rhachitomous vertebrae in early tetrapods
Pawley, K. and Salisbury, S. W (2007). Biomechanics of rhachitomous vertebrae in early tetrapods. 11th Conference on Australian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics, 2007, Melbourne, Australia, 10-13th April. Sydney, australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Leahey, L. G., Salisbury, S. W. and Molnar, R. E. (2007). Cranial osteology of Minmi sp., a basal ankylosaurid thyreophoran (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Allaru Formation of Richmond, north-western Queensland, Australia. 11th Conference on Australian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics, 2007, Melbourne, Australia, April, 2007. Sydney Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Holt, T. R., Salisbury, S. W., Worthy, T. H., Snad, C. and Anderson, A. (2007). New material of Mekosuchus inexpectatus (Crocodylia: Mekosuchinae) from the Quaternary of New Caledonia. 11th Conference on Australian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics, 2007, Melbourne, Australia, April, 2007. Sydney Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
New pterosaur fossils from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) of western Queensland, Australia
Fletcher, T. L., Salisbury, S. W. and Cook, A. G. (2007). New pterosaur fossils from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) of western Queensland, Australia. 11th Conference on Australian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics, 2007, Melbourne, Australia, April, 2007. Sydney Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Nair, J. P. and Salisbury, S. W. (2007). Osteology and biomechanics of the crus and pes in Rhoetosaurus brownei Longman (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Middle Jurassic Injune Creek Group of Roma, south-western Queensland. 11th Conference on Australian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics, 2007, Melbourne, Australia, April, 2007. Sydney Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Geddes, K., Salisbury, S. W. and Wilkinson, J. (2007). Preparation of the type material of Isisfordia duncani, a basal eusuchian crocodylomorph from the mid-Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) Winton Formation of Isisford, central-western Queensland, Australia. 11th Conference on Australian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics, 2007, Melbourne, Australia, April, 2007. Sydney Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Salisbury, S. W., Molnar, R. E. and Lamanna, M. C. (2007). Sauropods from the mid-Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) Winton Formation of central-western Queensland, Australia. 11th Conference on Australian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics, 2007, Melbourne, Australia, 9 - 12 April, 2007. Sydney Australia: Geological Society of Australia.
Salisbury, S. W., Molnar, R. E. and Lamanna, M. C. (2006). A new titanosauriform sauropod from the mid-Cretaceous (Albian-cenomanian) Winton formation of central-western Queensland, Australia. 66th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 18-21 October 2006. Norman, Okla., U.S.A.: University of Oklahoma.
Gastropubic recoil aspiration in crocodilians and early archosaurs
Salisbury, S. and Frey, E. (2005). Gastropubic recoil aspiration in crocodilians and early archosaurs. Sixty-Fifth Annual Meeting Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Mesa Southwest Museum and Phoenix Marriott Mesa Mesa, Arizona, 19-22 October, 2005. Norman, Okla., U.S.A.: University of Oklahoma.
Salisbury, Steven W. and Frey, Eberhard (2004). Anatomical correlates associated with the bracing system of extant crocodilians: addressing the locomotor inadequacies of the Indian gharial. 17th Working Meeting of the IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group, Darwin, N.T., 24-29 May 2004. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN - The World Conservation Union.
A new crocodilian from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of north-eastern Brazil
Salisbury, S. W., Frey, E., Martil, D. M. and Buchy, M.-C. (2003). A new crocodilian from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of north-eastern Brazil. Sixty-Third Annual Meeting Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A., 15-18 October 2003. Norman, Okla., U.S.A.: University of Oklahoma.
Salisbury, S. (2003). Theropod teeth from the Lower Cretaceous (Albian-cenomanian) Winton formation, Winton, central-western Queensland, Australia. Longman Symposium: Conference of Australasian Vertebrate Evols, Queensland Museum, Queensland, Australia, 7 - 11 July 2003. Queensland, Australia: Queensland Museum.
Salisbury, SW and Frey, E (2001). A biomechanical transformation model for the evolution of semi-spheroidal articulations between adjoining vertebral bodies in crocodilians. Conference on Crocodilian Biology and Evolution, St Lucia Australia, Jul, 1998. CHIPPING NORTON NSW: SURREY BEATTY & SONS.
Australia’s oldest dinosaur was a peaceful vegetarian, not a fierce predator
Salisbury, Steve and Romilio, Anthony (2021, 10 21). Australia’s oldest dinosaur was a peaceful vegetarian, not a fierce predator The Conversation
Dinosaur footprints show predators as big as T. rex stomped across Australia 160 million years ago
Romilio, Anthony and Salisbury, Steve (2020, 06 19). Dinosaur footprints show predators as big as T. rex stomped across Australia 160 million years ago The Conversation
No dinosaur stampede at Lark Quarry – so what really happened?
Salisbury, Steven and Romilio, Anthony (2014, 07 15). No dinosaur stampede at Lark Quarry – so what really happened? The Conversation
Walking with dinosaurs in the Kimberley: mapping the Cretaceous landscapes of the Dampier Peninsula
(2014–2017) ARC Discovery Projects
(2012–2015) Flinders University
(2010–2023) Isisford Shire Council
Establishment of a digital Scanscope system for virtual microscopy
(2010) UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
(2008–2011) ARC Linkage Projects
Dinosaurs of Bladensburg National Park, central-western Queensland
(2007–2008) UQ Early Career Researcher
Replication of a fossil fish specimen from Isisford, central-western Queensland
(2006) Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History Japan
Preparation of a partial theropod skull from James Ross island, Antarctic peninsula
(2004) St Mary's College of California
(2003–2006) ARC Linkage Projects
(2003–2004) UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
Distribution, abundance, and palaeoecological insights into theropod tracks of the Broome Sandstone, Western Australia
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
New insights into the preservation of the Cretaceous vertebrate fauna of the Eromanga Basin in Central West Queensland
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
(2022) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
(2020) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
(2017) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
(2014) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
(2014) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
The palaeoenvironment of the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation, central-western Queensland, Australia
(2014) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
(2017) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.
Postgraduate projects (Honours and PhD) in the Vertebrate Palaeontology and Biomechanics Lab:
Our lab’s research focuses on the evolution of Gondwanan continental vertebrates, in particular dinosaurs and crocodilians. We are also interested in vertebrate biomechanics and using extant animals to better understand the anatomy, behaviour and evolution of extinct ones.