South America Collection

Henry Walter Bates (1825-1892)
Henry Walter Bates FRS FLS FGS was an English naturalist and explorer who gave the first scientific account of mimicry in animals. Born in Leicester 8 February 1825, died London, 16 February 1892

Butterflies from the Amazon by H. W. Bates
A page (p 144) from a notebook of Henry W. Bates relating to the insect fauna of the Amazon Valley or DRW, 1851-1854

Marsdenia mollissima
Finished watercolour by Sydney Parkinson made during Captain James Cooks first voyage across the Pacific, 1768-1771. Illustration annotated Cynanchum crassifolium

Scolopendra gigantea, giant centipede
A giant centipede which was brought into the Museums Insect Identification service after being found in a living room in London. The specimen is venomous and not native to the UK

Examples of mimicry among butterflies
Plate from On the lepidoptera of the Amazon Valley. Transactions of the Linnean Society, by H.W. Bates, 1862

H. W. Bates illustrated notebook
Plate 7 from a notebook of Henry W. Bates (1825-92) relating to the insect fauna of the Amazon Valley or DRW, 1851-1854

Panoramic: Bahia, Brazil, South America 1873
A photograph taken during the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876), funded by the British Government for scientific purposes

Bahia, Brazil, South America 1873
A photograph taken during the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876), funded by the British Government for scientific purposes

Bahia, South America 1873
A photograph taken during the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876), funded by the British Government for scientific purposes

Specimen labels for Herald petrel Pterodroma, arminjoniana a
Specimen labels for herald petrel collected by Robert Falcon Scotts British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, also known as the Terra Nova expedition

Topaz
This 2982-carat topaz is the largest cut gem at the museum

Titanus giganteus, South American longhorn or titan beetle
The South American longhorn or Titan beetle is largest known beetle and inhabits the Amazon forests

Titanus giganteus L. South American longhorn beetle
This is the largest beetle in the world, measuring between 12 and 20 cms in length. They live in the rainforests of French Guiana and Brazil

Titanus giganteus L. titan beetle
The titan is the largest beetle in the world. Measuring between 12 and 20 cms in length, this specimen was 15 cms. They live in the rainforests of French Guiana and Brazil

Starfish, Luidia scotti
Specimen collected by Robert Falcon Scotts British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, also known as the Terra Nova expedition

Herald petrel, Pterodroma arminjoniana arminjoniana
Specimen collected by Robert Falcon Scotts British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, also known as the Terra Nova expedition

Cataracts of Maypures map
Engraving by Alexander Humboldt, April 1800. This map depicts an area of the Orinoco river in South America. Date: 1800

Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794-1868)
Portrait of Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, a Belgian naturalist who travelled to Brazil with the zoologist Spix to gather specimens for his herbarium

Theraphosa leblondi, goliath tarantula
This spider, from the northern Amazonia, has a leg-span of 250mm

Araucaria mirabilis, pine cone
Silicified cones from the Cerro Cuadrado Fossil Forest (Jaramillo Fossil Forest), Argentina dating from the Upper Jurassic. Specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London

View of Stanley from Pier, Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
A photograph taken during the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876) funded by the British Government for scientific purposes

Ceroglossus Beetle
One of the specimens collected from the Andes of Chile by Charles Darwin during his five year voyage on the HMS Beagle (1831 - 1836)

Hemibrycon taeniurus, Mountain spring sardine

Nasua nasua coati, South American coati
Watercolour by Frederick Frohawk, 1902, from London Zoo resident Date: 1902

Ceroglossus Beetle
One of the specimens collected from the Andes of Chile by Charles Darwin during his five year voyage on the HMS Beagle (1831 - 1836)

Peruvian style raft
Hand-coloured engraving of Alexander Humboldt painting. Radeau de la Riviera de Guayaquil. Vues des Cordilleres, 1810. Date: 1810

Coquimbo, Chile
Illustration (p.366) from Charles Darwins Journal of Researches, first illustrated edition 1890

Raised beaches, Patagonis
Illustration (p.182) from Charles Darwins Journal of Researches, first illustrated edition 1890

Toxodon Platensis, found at Sadillo
Illustration (p.134) from Charles Darwins Journal of Researches, first illustrated edition 1890

Patagonians from Cape Gregory
Illustration (p.245) from Charles Darwins Journal of Researches, first illustrated edition 1890

Alaruasa violacea, tailed wax bug
The tailed wax bug does not actually have a tail at all, because the exraordinary growth behind it is pure wax, secreted from the abdomen in tiny amounts throughout its life

Berkeley Sound, Falkland islands
Illustration (p.214) from Charles Darwins Journal of Researches, first illustrated edition 1890

Imperial Topaz
Found in 1852 in one of the oldest mines in the southeastern Ouro Preto region of Brazil

Hide bridge illustration (p.334) from Charles Darwins Journal of Researches, first illustrated edition 1890

Skin from a Ground sloth
This rare sloth skin, one of the best examples of its kind, was found in a cave in Chile in the early 1900 s

Crepidula, slipper limpets
Slipper limpets collected by Charles Darwin in Chile on the Beagle voyage (1831-1836)

Cambrian trilobites from the Falkland Islands
Trilobites from a cobble of archaeocyathan limestone from Port Purvis: PS 218, specimen number NHM PI PO 12074 in the collection of the Palaeontological Department of The Natural History Museum

Humming bird nest
A humming bird nest collected by Captain Cook 1st voyage in Rio de Janiero

Notes and sketches by Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913)
These notes and sketches were all Alfred Wallace was able to salvage when his return vessel, Helen, caught fire on his return voyage from South America in 1852

Evening Camp, Buenos Aires
Illustration (p.128) from Charles Darwins Journal of Researches, first illustrated edition 1890

Mylodon darwinii, ground sloth
Jaw bone collected by Charles Darwin when he stepped off the Beagle in Argentina. First officially recorded by Richard Owen, the first Superintendent of the Museum

Arapaimo gigas, giant arapaimo
Specimen of the giant arapaimo (Arapaimo gigas), the worlds largest fresh water fish growing up to 5m long. Found in Brazil, Guyana and Peru

Portrait of Bates, Henry Walter (1825-1892)
Bates collections and notebooks are held at The Natural History Museum, London. Bates is best known for his publication Naturalis on the River Amazon, 1863 and his work on mimicry

Die Puris in ihren Waldern
Plate 2 from Reise Nach Brasilien, 1815-1817 by Prinzen Maximilian von Neuwied

Myroxylon pereirae, balsam of Peru
One of the 162 decorative panels depicting flora that form the ceiling of the Central Hall of the Natural History Museum, London. Showing Myroxylon pereirae, balsam of Peru

Butterflies painted by H. W. Bates
A butterfly covered page from a notebook of Henry W. Bates relating to the insect fauna of the Amazon Valley or DRW, (1851-1854)

Attalea funifera C. Martius ex Sprengel, bahia piassaba palm
Illustration from the Botany Library Plate Collection held at the Natural History Museum, London

Bahia public gardens, Bahia, Brazil, South America 1873
A photograph taken during the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876), funded by the British Government for scientific purposes

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