Gentoo Penguin egg (Pygoscelis papua) collected by Adrian Dean, Macquarie Island, 1959

View this record on the National Museum of Australia's website

Type: Penguin eggs
Date: 1959
Place: Macquarie Island, Tasmania, Australia, Oceania; Macquarie Island Research Station, Macquarie Island, Tasmania, Australia, Oceania
Materials: Animal material - non specific, Eggshell
Collection: National Antarctic Heritage collection
Accession number: 2024.0001.0391.004

Description

A whole large eggshell that is off-white in colour. Cracks have formed towards the bottom, and there is handwriting in graphite that reads 'Gentoo Penguin'.

This egg was collected by ANARE expeditioner Adrian Dean at Macquarie Island during 1959. Mr. Dean, who was the expedition's carpenter, also assisted the Medical Officer, Dr. Stefan Csordas, with biological research into the island's bird populations. He banded birds such as skuas, and helped collect eggs for Dr. Csordas' studies.

About the collection

This collection comprises approximately 600 objects acquired by the Australian Antarctic Division and its predecessors between the 1940s and 2010s. It includes scientific and communication equipment, navigation and cartographic equipment, specimens, commemorative objects, building fabric, field support vehicles, clothing and field work supplies relating to Australia’s long and distinguished tradition of research and exploration within the Antarctic region. These objects are the largest and most diverse assemblage of surviving material culture demonstrating Australia’s relationship with the subantarctic islands and Antarctic continent between the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries. The collection offers remarkable natural and historical significance, notably nineteenth century commercial activities and the early twentieth century expeditions of Sir Douglas Mawson and other explorers that expanded scientific knowledge and laid the foundation for Australia’s enduring presence in the region. From the 1940s, the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions undertook major exploratory and scientific work to understand and protect the Antarctic landscape. Australia took a leading role in the International Geophysical Year and the negotiation of a comprehensive environmental protection regime for Antarctica with the establishment of the Antarctic Treaty System from 1959. It records how the Australian Antarctic Division continues to manage Australia’s interests in the Antarctic region, overseeing world-leading research at three permanent continental research stations - Mawson, Casey and Davis - and at subantarctic Macquarie Island.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 6:15:05 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2026-10-14. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.