The starfishes, octopuses and squid of scientists' 70,000-mile 19th century journey to the deep sea
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
In 1872, chemists, physicists and biologists boarded the HMS Challenger
and embarked upon a 70,000 nautical mile journey of global exploration
One species of octopus, known as the mimic octopus, can make itself appear to be many other sea creaturesThe team systematically surveyed the geology, topography, biology and chemistry of the deep sea.
A starfish from the collection of Percy Sladen, held at the museum in ExeterThey returned four years later with a mass of data and thousands of specimens, many of which were sent to leading scientists across the globe.
Members of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum meet a starfish collected on the Challenger ExpeditionThe crew and scientists took detailed scientific readings about the sea and the weather with barometers, hydrometers, thermometers and other instruments, as well as dredging or trawling the seabed for specimens.
Several species of sea anemone were dredged and trawled on the expeditionAlthough the Challenger was a small war ship, most of her guns were removed to make way for all the scientists, their equipment and a pair of laboratories.
Biologist Sladen was the only person the leaders of the expedition could find who would be capable of analysing the starfishMore than 4,000 new species were described and the reports written filled 50 volumes and nearly 30,000 pages.
This map was made using data from the Challenger expeditionThe impact of this epic journey has been wide: it laid the foundation for the science of oceanography, a space shuttle, a lunar module, and a deep sea research vessel were all named after the expedition and it has even been the inspiration for dolls’ house accessories.
Specimens from the trip were examined in this special Natural History Laboratory140 years after samples from one of the world’s greatest journeys of scientific discovery were dispersed to experts across the globe, Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum is collecting records of the voyage into a single digital database. The information is still an important source of baseline data and will soon be readily available for further research.
A glance at specimens held in the collections of Bristol MuseumMany of the specimens and data sets are held by national museums and "reasonably accessible", according to researchers. Some of the findings were shared among smaller museums and research institutions: 300 echinoderms are included in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum’s Sladen collection.
These whelks were found off the coast of BrazilFrom starfish to butterflies and bryozoans to whale jaws, the records have examples from a wide range of taxonomic groups.
Squid from ArgentinaWhile most records come from the animal kingdom, there are plenty of botanical and geological samples and even a few examples of ethnographic material.
These shells originate from the Azores, PortugalIn April 2014, curators were granted £91,000 by the John Ellerman Regional Museum and Galleries Fund to build an online database of material collected on one of the voyage. The database is due to go live later this year.
Examples of the Calliactis polypus species were found on station 208 on January 17 1875 at 18 fathoms and St Vincent, Cape VerdeMore than 15,600 records and 4,000 images of material from the voyage have been collected from international museums so far, including Bristol, Glasgow, Harvard and the California Academy of Science in the US.
Hermit crabs were living in the gastropod shells of the specimensThe Natural History Museum is packed with specimens dredged and trawled by HMS Challenger. The museum took in all the types collected from the expedition before passing off some duplicates to many museums around the world, including collections in Sydney, Lisbon, Toronto and Berlin.
Cuttlefishes and octopuses found on the expeditionThe National Museums of both Wales and Ireland have been visited by the team, who plan to follow other global links.
The dredge could also be dragged behind the Challenger’s steam pinnaceThe majority of the exhibits are 6mm or smaller, perhaps explaining why curators found photographing them a “fiddly job”. The larger ones, such as octopus and squid, proved more straightforward.
This small starfish takes the Latin name of Lophaster stellansYou can find out more of the story by visiting the
HMS Challenger project.
What do you think? Leave a comment below.Three museums to discover natural history inNatural History Museum, LondonThe home of 70 million plants, animals, fungi,
bacteria, fossils, rocks and minerals - more than can be seen in one visit, but worth a try.
Oxford University Museum of Natural HistoryHome to the university’s
internationally-significant collections of geological and zoological
specimens, as well as substantial archival material in a
stunning neo-Gothic building.
Colchester Natural History MuseumDid you know there was an earthquake in Colchester in 1884, or that Mammoths and Hippos used to roam around here? Find out more with hands-on-displays, live animals and a chuchyard nature reserve.
Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/science-and-nature/dinosaurs-and-fossils/art534531-starfishes-octopuses-squid-scientists-journey-deep-sea
