Page 35 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #02

Most animals are
small, but we have to
remember that size
has no bearing on
biological importance.
destination, there’s no guarantee you’ll find We need to read some of its DNA, and heart tening and exciting. We’re
f
much of interest. Most species are rare or we need to know where aand how it living
g in a new golden age
h
c
conspicuous for only a small proportion of lives. It’s this latter part that of dis covery, as technology is
us to look at the natural
their life. This seems to be at odds with what is the real sticking point. enabling u
w
we see: we’re surrounded by animals you The vast majority of world in new ways, but with every bit
might say. True, but look a little closer. The the 1.6 million formally of habitat that fa alls to the chainsaw or
reality of this ubiquity is vast numbers of a described species are little more than a disappears under the plough or dredger or
few extremely common species. name. Very few people are working at concrete, species are lost to us forever, most
A mantisfly I found in the forests of the front line of discovering species and before we ever got a chance to describe and
northern Burma turned out to be a new understanding how they live. Apart from understand them, impoverishing nature
rst
genus, and I’d happily wager that I could the difficulties of accessing them, as and ultimately ourselves.
cu
he diffi
spend a month in that same forest and never previously d Pragmatically, every species is a
previously described, there’s not much
see it again. Likewise, a moth I found in the funding for th component of the natural systems that keep
this sort of work, it can be
ly painstaking and it can
same location was first described in extremely us alive and we can only understand these
n
1894, but in over 120 years has been be seen as a an academic backwater, systems when we know the components.
seen only three times. I think which is Evolution has solved the greatest of
is a real travesty.
to give you an idea
the truth is that many species Just to problems and by studying life on Earth I
ies
le
just live at extremely low of the sca ale of the problem, believe we will find solutions to many of
w
are more species of
population densities. there are the challenges that face humanity. More
weev il intrinsically, as intelligent beings it is our
evil and rove beetle than
ven if you find lotlots th e duty to protect and understand our fellow
here are species of vertebrate,
d
of interesting thingngs, and we’ve only nibbled the edges organisms – not only for their own sake but
an
this is just the thin enend of also because of what they tell us about the
of these beetle families. The mites
of the wedge and whereere the fun an phenomenon of life. In a cold universe, we
and nematodes fare even less well. Their
Ebegins. These specimens ns need diversity perhaps surpasses that of insects, are the privileged inhabitants of a beautiful,
li ing planet. It is this we need to cherish
h t l
it iithin the
d t
to be compared to what else exists in b u t ld id th till l h df l li v i l tIt i thi d t h i h
t b
b t worldwide there are still only a handful
disparate collections around the world by of scientists studying their phenomenal above all else.
b
d
someone who has spent years working on diversity and ecology.
that particular group of organisms. Looking Numbers aside, we need to remember ROSS PIPER is the author of Animal
at the outward appearance of an animal is that the Earth is still full of mystery Earth (Thames & Hudson, £19.95), an
all well and good, but we need to go deeper. and that’s something we should all find introduction to animal diversity.

IT’S EASIER TO IDENTIFY WITH A LIONESS THAN IT Rainforest: Nick Garbutt/naturepl.com; moth: Ross Piper; mollusc: Arthur Anker; nematode: Jon Eisenback; sea butterfly: Alexander Semenov
IS TO FORM ANY SORT OF EMOTIONAL LINK WITH

A FACELESS CRUSTACEAN THAT SPENDS MOST OF
ITS LIFE ATTACHED TO THE EYE OF A FISH .

February 2018 BBC Wildlife 35