Taxonomy is the science of identifying, describing, classifying and naming plants and animals. As European naturalists encountered Australia’s unique animal species, they created a new taxonomy of both scientific and common names. But taxonomic knowledge is a feature of all cultures. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples already had their own taxonomies in place, as well as understandings of Australian ecosystems and their biodiversity. Europeans sometimes adopted these names in science and popular names (such as wombat). More commonly scientific names were formed from Classical languages, though some names are a mixture of both.
In this display we have used taxonomies from the Dharug language once spoken here in Sydney as well as those of the international scientific community and standard Australian. The scientific names provided are species name, which are made of the generic name (the genus, the first of the two names), and the specific epithet (the second name). Species are classified on their degree of relationship, thus the species in a given genus are considered more closely related to each other than they are to species in any other genus.
Dharug names and representation of animals in rock art offer a glimpse into the ways Aboriginal people described their world. It’s indicative of Aboriginal peoples’ sophisticated knowledge of the habitats, behaviors and seasonal cycles of animals, and the classificatory system they used to distinguish and differentiate between numerous and various species. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait nations symbolically also applied the habits and characteristics of certain animals to themselves, and, at times, particular animals were also a reference back to particular people or groups of people.
When Europeans first met with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples they often wrote down lists of words — usually things that could be pointed at such as body parts or nearby animals. As English became the dominant language across the Sydney region individual words for specific things disappeared, Europeans at the time also grew disinterested in learning about Aboriginal and Islander culture. Today taxonomies and whole languages are reemerging from archives and work with elders.
The Dharug words for these animals are drawn from the work of Jacqueline Troy (the Sydney Language 1994) and compiled from the diaries and word lists of several early Australians such as William Dawes (recorded between 1788 — 1991), and Robert H. Mathews (recorded between 1893 — 1918) among several others.
bullungga
Eastern Quoll or Eastern Native Cat
Dasyurus viverrinus
This carnivorous marsupial was once common along south-eastern Australia, ranging from the mid-north coast of NSW through Victoria to Tasmania, but is now probably extinct on the mainland. Both the English common name “cat” and the species epithet “viverrinus” (Latin for weasel) reflect attempts to associate the species more closely with familiar European species.
barrugin
Short-beaked Echidna
Tachyglossus aculeatus
The short-beaked echidna is one of only five living species of monotremes: the others are the platypus and three species of long-beaked echidnas. Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live offspring. The short-beaked echidna is found in mainland eastern Australia, Tasmania and Papua New Guinea. The generic name Tachyglossus means rapid tongue, and refers to how it quickly laps up its prey (ants and termites) with its sticky tongue.
biladurang (from the Wiradjuri dialect)
Platypus
Ornithorhynchus anatinus
Platypuses are stream-dwelling monotremes found in eastern and southeastern Australia and Tasmania. With a duck like bill, webbed feet and beaver like tail, the initial specimens sent to Europe were thought to be a hoax. The species was named Platypus anatinus (flat foot; duck-like) by Shaw in 1799, and a year later independently called Ornithorhynchus paradoxus (bird snout; paradox) by Blumenbach. Because the genus name Platypus had already been used for a type of beetle, Blumenbach’s genus name is now used instead. Shaw’s name survives as the English common name.
wali
Common Ringtail Possum
Pseudocheirus peregrines
In colder areas of southeastern Australia possum skins were used by indigenous people to make cloaks worn for protection from the weather. The Common Ringtail Possum is an arboreal marsupial found along the east coast of Australia, including Tasmania. It was one of the first Australian mammals to be scientifically described. The degree to which the Europeans were surprised by Australia’s unique fauna is reflected in the specific epithet of this species — peregrines is Latin for strange or exotic.
gulamany
Koala
Phascolarctos cinereus
The iconic koala is an arboreal marsupial found throughout eastern and southeastern mainland Australia. The English common name is based on the dharug name for the species. The genus name is derived from the Greek phaskolos (leather bag or pouch) and arktos (bear).
wumbat or womat
Common Wombat
Vombatus ursinus
The Common Wombat is found throughout southeastern Australia. It is one of three living wombat species, all of which are also endemic to Australia. The names for the common wombat combine both indigenous and European words. The Dharug name “wumbat” is used both for the common name and the genus name, but the specific epithet is Latin for bear.
ngununy
Flying Fox
Pteropus sp.
Also known as fruit bats, flying foxes are the largest bats in the world. The genus name is Greek for winged foot. Across south-eastern Australia’s Indigenous cultures colonies of flying foxes are known as a good source of food. In the Sydney region, however, there is a puzzle: historical sources note that wubin were a desirable food yet archaeologists have not seen fruit bat bones in the waste sites.
Wubin
Feathertail glider
Acrobates pygmaeus
The smallest of the gliding marsupials, feathertail gliders are found throughout eastern and south-eastern mainland Australia. They are arboreal and agile, able to glide distances of up to 25 metres. The scientific name aptly means pygmy acrobat. The English common name refers to the feather-like fringes of hair lining the tail, which is used for steering when gliding.
marrayagong (general word for spider)
Sydney Funnel Web Spider
Atrax robustus
With one of the most toxic venoms known, the Sydney funnel web is Australia’s most notorious spider. There have been no deaths since the introduction of anti-venom in 1981. Though related species occur elsewhere in Australia, the Sydney funnel web is found only in the Sydney region, from Newcastle to Nowra, and west to Lithgow. Spiders do not figure largely in colonial records of Indigenous knowledge, which may indicate that they were not frequently encountered.
binyang Bird
dilbung Small bird
gunyadu Large bird
guriyayil Small parrots Scientific classification of animals groups species into related taxa, such as genera, families and orders. For example, all parrots are classified in the order Psittaciformes. Indigenous peoples also grouped species into collectives, such as in the Dharug examples above.
ngurra
Bird’s Nest
Birds’ nests differ greatly from species to species. The nest displayed here is that of a silvereye (Zosterops lateralis), a common bird throughout eastern, southern and south-western Australia. Bird and reptile eggs were sought after in the Spring in the Sydney region as they were a good source of food, demanding knowledge of nesting habits.
guganagina
Laughing Kookaburra
Dacelo novaeguineae
The common name is from ‘gugubarra’, the name given to the bird by the Wiradjuri people of central New South Wales. Despite the scientific name, laughing kookaburras do not occur in New Guinea, but rather range throughout mainland eastern Australia. They have also been introduced to Tasmania and south-western Australia. It is the largest kingfisher in the world, although it isn't a fish-eater, preferring terrestrial prey.
guwali
Little Pied Cormorant
Microcarbo melanoleucos
The smallest Australian cormorant, little pied cormorants range widely throughout Australasia, from Malaysia and Indonesia to New Zealand and the south-west Pacific. The specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek for black and white.
bubuk
Southern Boobook Owl
Ninox novaeseelandiae
Widely distributed throughout Australia, New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia and New Zealand, this is the smallest and commonest owl in Australia. Also known as mopoke, or morepork, the various common and Dharug names are onomatopoeic, echoing the owl’s distinctive two-part call.
beleck-beleck or balangara
Superb Lyrebird
Menura novaehollandiae
An expert mimic, this species occurs in wet forest habitat along coastal New South Wales to eastern Victoria. The Indigenous names provided here are from the works of naturalist and collector John Gould (1804–81), who did not indicate which language group they were from. Gould actively sought out the Indigenous names of Australian birds and mammals, as it aided in his acquisition of specimens. He often incorporated Indigenous names into the common and scientific names of species he described.
malya
Diamond Python
Morelia spilota spilota
The diamond python is a subspecies of the carpet python, found
along coastal New South Wales and north-eastern Victoria. The specific (and sub-specific) epithet spilota is Greek for spotted. Snakes are common aspects of various Aboriginal mythologies across Australia, with one of the most commonly known being the Rainbow Serpent dreaming stories of central Australia. Watkins Tench (1788–92) noted that snakes were not generally eaten in the Sydney area and reptiles in general were only eaten in times of bad weather where other food sources were not accessible.
wirriga
Lace Monitor or Lace Goanna
Varanus varius
Growing to over 2 metres long, lace monitors are the second largest lizard in Australia. They are found throughout eastern and south-eastern Australia. The name goanna may be derived from ‘iguana’, an unrelated group of large lizards from South America, the Caribbean and the South Pacific, or from the South African term for monitor lizards, ‘leguaan’.
daringyan
Common Stingaree
Trygonoptera testacea
Sydney Harbour was first named ‘Stingray Bay’ by Arthur Phillip in 1788, due to the large numbers of stingrays and stingarees that were found in Port Jackson bay (known today as The Rocks). Stingarees differ from stingrays in having a small caudal (tail) fin. Stingrays were a source of food and their barbs were used in the manufacture of spears such as the multi-pronged spears used to catch flathead.
burra
Longfin Eel
Anguilla reinhardtii
Longfin eels live in freshwater bodies along the entire east coast of Australia as well as on Lord Howe Island and New Caledonia. Adults migrate to the Coral Sea to breed. The leaf-shaped larval eels (leptocephali) migrate back towards the coast, where they metamorphosise into ‘glass eels’, which become pigmented ‘elvers’ when they enter estuaries. The elvers ascend rivers and creeks en masse. The Sydney suburb Parramatta is based on the Dharug ‘burramatta’, meaning eel waters, and refers to the abundance of eels in the Parramatta River.
badiwa
Dusky Flathead
Platycephalus fuscus
marrinagul (small flathead)
guwarri (large flathead)
Reaching to around 1.5 metres, the dusky flathead is the largest member of the flathead family (Platycephalidae) and one of the most important food fishes in New South Wales. It is a bottom-dwelling species, occurring in coastal areas and estuaries from central Queensland to Victoria. The English common name is the same as the scientific name (Platycephalus = flathead; fuscus = dusky). It is not known whether the three Dharug names refer to different sizes of this species, or to different species of flathead. Flathead frequent shallow waters, and were readily speared with multi-pronged spears.
gadyan
Sydney Cockle
Anadara trapezia
Gadyan were eaten and used widely in Aboriginal Sydney for making
fishhooks and spear barbs. Early settlers in the Sydney region used shell middens (rubbish or ash piles) to produce lime for mixing cement. Lime made from burnt shell was also used by Dharug people as a white paint on bodies and artefacts such as shields and clubs.
The shell fishhooks on display were uncovered in archaeological digs in the
Era Beach region south of Sydney. In Sydney Harbour, fishing with
fishhooks was undertaken by women, who cooked their catch in their canoes. Archeological records show the shape and appearance of fishhooks changed over time and that their production was closely related to the availability of the particular types of stone tools that were used to shape and manufacture them.
