Review of the book “Excursions to the First Kind”

A research team published the results of genetic and anatomical studies of coelacanths found near Indonesia in 1999, ensuring its status as a distinct second species and scientific name. Latimeria menadoensis. Scientists claimed to have discovered the animal and provided a photograph as evidence, which turned out to be a fake. Perhaps it was Arnaz Mehta-Erdman who discovered the fish first. Her husband, marine biologist Marc Erdmann, was looking for a coelacanth in Manado at the same time as other scientists, but lost out due to its faster deployment.

Uhl ends his book with an estimate that perhaps only 10 to 15 percent of all species have ever been discovered worldwide. As is unfortunately inevitable with this topic, it also mentions climate change, habitat loss, and other factors leading to the extinction of growing numbers of animals. Species in their diversity not only provide solutions to pressing issues such as regulating the climate and securing basic needs such as food. With more detailed knowledge of them, it may also be possible to identify and contain epidemics at an early stage, Ohl writes.

Therefore, it is clear to him that, in addition to protecting endangered diversity, more and, above all, faster efforts are needed to research species that have not yet been discovered – a huge task that can perhaps only be solved in fair cooperation with the countries of origin. And new research methods, more experts and can be mastered by experts.