Physalia Physalis: One of Millions of Animal Species Worth Protecting

The number of currently existing species is, of course, much higher and estimated to lie between 4 and 40 million.

About 1.8 million animal and plant species have so far been scientifically described, recorded and named. 

New species are constantly being discovered and documented, also at the newly established Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Discovery at Berlin’s natural history museum.

For each new species, a reference specimen must be deposited in a scientific collection so that researchers all over the world can look it up. The Museum für Naturkunde stores tens of thousands such reference specimens, known as type specimens, in its collections.

The exhibition “Evolution in Action” at the museum shows selected evolutionary mechanisms that explain phenotype and behaviour of plants and animals. Such examples include conundrums...