Hello everyone.
While browsing through different nudibranch species names I noticed that several of them were identified very long time ago. Just an example: Flabellina affinis (Gmelin, 1791).
Now my question is how on earth somebody managed not only to find but also study/describe/publish about such underwater creatures so long time ago - in this example in 1791!!?? And believe me this is a random example I used (Flabellinas were the first nudibranchs I became aware of). I didn't cherry pick hence I guess there should be other species identified much earlier.
I mean a lot of these marine creatures live quite deep, are not very common, some of them are tiny, well camouflaged etc. How could people study them so long time ago obviously without the use of any diving equipment?? My understanding is that the first "diving suits" (the ones with the big brash helmet and surface supplied air through a hose - I don't know their name in English) were invented after 1800 and I'd guess due to their high cost, difficulty to manufacture and use, as well as their inherent dangers their use would be limited only to commercial (and maybe military??) use. Diving masks should have been invented much later. Yes people were skin diving to depths of around 100ft/30m well before that (eg for sponge collection since the ancient times) but again I find it difficult to imagine people skin diving to such depths with practically no equipment for research purposes. How could they even see creatures like nudibranchs in the water without a mask?? Or maybe I don't have big enough imagination??
Anyway I'd appreciate any information on how people use to study marine life before the wide spread of diving suits. It is just a question out of curiosity (yes the same one that killed the cat). Hence any info would do, even informal one.
Thanks a lot
While browsing through different nudibranch species names I noticed that several of them were identified very long time ago. Just an example: Flabellina affinis (Gmelin, 1791).
Now my question is how on earth somebody managed not only to find but also study/describe/publish about such underwater creatures so long time ago - in this example in 1791!!?? And believe me this is a random example I used (Flabellinas were the first nudibranchs I became aware of). I didn't cherry pick hence I guess there should be other species identified much earlier.
I mean a lot of these marine creatures live quite deep, are not very common, some of them are tiny, well camouflaged etc. How could people study them so long time ago obviously without the use of any diving equipment?? My understanding is that the first "diving suits" (the ones with the big brash helmet and surface supplied air through a hose - I don't know their name in English) were invented after 1800 and I'd guess due to their high cost, difficulty to manufacture and use, as well as their inherent dangers their use would be limited only to commercial (and maybe military??) use. Diving masks should have been invented much later. Yes people were skin diving to depths of around 100ft/30m well before that (eg for sponge collection since the ancient times) but again I find it difficult to imagine people skin diving to such depths with practically no equipment for research purposes. How could they even see creatures like nudibranchs in the water without a mask?? Or maybe I don't have big enough imagination??
Anyway I'd appreciate any information on how people use to study marine life before the wide spread of diving suits. It is just a question out of curiosity (yes the same one that killed the cat). Hence any info would do, even informal one.
Thanks a lot
