On July 1st 1858, two scientific papers on a similar subject were read to the Linnaean Society in London’s Piccadilly Circus. At the time, the papers by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace, who were both absent from the proceedings, received remarkably little acclaim. Nonetheless, in laying the foundations for the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection and the subsequent rise of modern evolutionary theory, the event is recognised as one of the pivotal moments in the history of science.
 To mark this day 151 years later, the ARKive team is pleased to unveil amazing new online material celebrating Charles Darwin’s legacy. This new ARKive content has been supported by the British Council’s ‘Darwin Now’ project, commemorating the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth and 150 years since the publication of On the Origin of Species. The Darwin Now project brings together an exciting series of global events and initiatives that aim to explore the eminent naturalist’s ideas about evolution and their lasting impact in today’s world. At ARKive, we now have 200 'Darwin' species profiles that pay tribute to Darwin’s famous voyage aboard the Beagle. Below is a small selection of some of the animals and plants he encountered.
ARKive's Darwin species  |  | | When Darwin and a small team arrived on Santiago Island on 8 October 1835, the Galapagos land iguanas were so numerous that it took some time to find “a spot free from their burrows” on which to pitch their tents. | During his time in the Keeling Islands in April 1836, Darwin carried out a detailed study of the islands’ coral formations collecting and examining many specimens including fire corals. |  |  | | On 3 December 1834, during his exploration of Lemuy Island, Chile, Darwin described and sketched a “pretty and curious” frog. Later named Darwin’s frog based on the naturalist’s specimens, this species represented an entirely new genus of amphibian. | One of the most well known of Darwin's finches, and one that the eminent naturalist initially mistook for a kind of blackbird during his exploration of Santiago Island, Galapagos in 1835, is the common cactus-finch. The long, pointed beak enables it to exploit food sources less accessible to the other finches such as the pollen and nectar obtained from the flowers of Opuntia cacti. |  |  | | On 17 April 1833 the Beagle reached St Joseph’s Bay, Patagonia, where a female dusky dolphin was harpooned from the ship. Whilst Darwin measured the specimen carefully after its capture, Captain FitzRoy made a detailed coloured drawing. | On 24 September 1835, Darwin went ashore Floreana Island in the Galapagos where he collected a male specimen of the Floreana mockingbird. Within 50 years of his visit, the once ubiquitous mockingbird had disappeared from the island and has since been clinging to survival on two adjacent small islets. |  |  | | During his visit to San Pedro Island, Chile on 6 December 1834 Darwin discovered a new species of fox, later named Darwin’s fox. With the fox distracted by the activities of the ship’s officers, Darwin was able to sneak up behind the fox and knock it on the head with his geological hammer. | On 17 September 1835 the Beagle arrived at San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos where Darwin found the black lava rocks on the beach to be “frequented by large (2-3 ft) most disgusting, clumsy lizards.” On opening up the stomachs of several of these Galapagos marine iguanas he found that most contained seaweed, providing evidence for the aquatic feeding habits of this species. | To see further ARKive Darwin species profiles click here.
ARKive's Darwin educational materials  ARKive has produced a selection of new and exciting Darwin education materials suitable for 11-16 year olds. Using Darwin's voyage on the Beagle and his theory of evolution by natural selection as the exploratory vehicles, the materials cover a range of subjects including variation, classification, natural selection and identification keys. Included within the new package are: ARKive themed classroom presentations, a variety of classroom activities and links to additional ARKive internet multi-media resources. To download these inspiring new materials please go to www.arkive.org/darwin.   |
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