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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 4h

Images are from André Étienne d'Audebard de Férussac & Alcide D'Orbigny, 'Histoire naturelle générale et particulière des céphalopodes acétabulifères, vivants et fossiles' (1835–1848) (LSL ref: F 594.5 FER)

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 4h

Octopus macropus risso - now classified as Callistoctopus macropus. It is often known as a grass octopus and sometimes lives in seagrass meadows.

Both available as cards, prints and posters at buff.ly/aLARMoH - use LINNEAN15 for a 15% discount!

Octopus macropus. It is pink and red in colour with white spots and long, thin tentacles which curl around the border of the picture.

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 4h

It's #WorldOctopusDay! These beauties from our collection are both by French pharmacist and naturalist Jean Baptiste Vérany (1800-65).

Octopus vulgaris - the common octopus, which can grow to 9kg and change colour to match its surroundings.

Common octopus with brown and yellow colouring with hints of blue. It has yellow eyes and fills the image.

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 5h

Images are from André Étienne d'Audebard de Férussac & Alcide D'Orbigny, 'Histoire naturelle générale et particulière des céphalopodes acétabulifères, vivants et fossiles' (1835–1848) (LSL ref: F 594.5 FER)

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 5h

Octopus macropus risso - now classified as Callistoctopus macropus. It is often known as a grass octopus and sometimes lives in seagrass meadows.

Both available as cards, prints and posters at buff.ly/aLARMoH - use LINNEAN15 for a 15% discount!

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 2d

Open now! Come check out or brand new #Exhibition all about #Wonder. Inspired by Wunderkammer and cabinets of curiosity, this exhibition is packed with hidden gems of the Linnean collections.

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 4d

Why are Britain’s woods falling silent?

Marsh & Willow Tits have declined by up to 96%.

Join @richardkbroughton.bsky.social at 6pm, Oct 23 at the Society to uncover what’s driving these losses - and what they reveal about our vanishing forests.

Book now: buff.ly/IuNlpoH

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 5d

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dame Jane Goodall. A visionary primatologist, conservationist, and lifelong advocate for the natural world, her work transformed our understanding of life on Earth.

Photograph: Hugo van Lawick/National Geographic

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 6d

Our library holds many stunning images of nature, now available as prints and cards. Treat yourself or a loved one this Christmas and support the Society at the same time! Until 30 November receive 15% off using code LINNEAN15.

buff.ly/KSn4wtT

A colourful botanical illustration showing flowers, fruits and leaves.

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 7d

✨Open today!✨

Explore our brand new #Exhibition all about Wonder. Inspired by the cabinet of curiosity or Wunderkammer (wonder-room) that flourished in 17th and 18th-century Europe, this exhibition showcases the varied collections and often lesser-seen objects held by the Linnean Society.

A graphic displaying an illustration from our new Wonder exhibition. Text reads: Wonder: A delightful pick and mix of our fascinating natural history collections. Free exhibition, 10.00-17.00 Tues-Fri. 01 October 2025 - 06 March 2026. The Linnean Society of London, Burlington House, Picadilly W1J 0BF.

Photograph of a finely detailed illustration of a fly's head, its bulbous compound eyes dominating the page.

A wooden type tray full of red and black wax seals, labelled in neat cursive.

Photograph of part of a display case from the Wonder exhibition. In the top left, a coloured illustration of a white bird with spiked plumage and a yellow face. Below and to the right, a brown rodent with a long tail, teeth bared.

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 9d

“It tires me a great deal to sit to anyone, but I should be the most ungrateful and ungracious dog not to agree”

September's Treasure of the Month is our most famous portrait of Charles Darwin, which is now part of UNESCO's Memory of the World.
buff.ly/hQkkwPX

Collier's 1881 portrait of Charles Darwin, who stands in a large brown overcoat against a brown background. He is holding a hat and has a white beard and downcast expression.

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 11d

🌍 Can life keep up with a changing planet?

Join us 20 Nov for a dynamic, one-day hybrid symposium at the Society - diving into the science of organismal resilience from genes to ecosystems.

🔬 Big questions. Bold science.
📍 In person or online
🕘 9:30am–6pm GMT
🎟️ buff.ly/0XdAhNZ

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 11d

A mystery orchid. A forgotten archive. Victorian obsession.

Join us 18 Nov, 6pm-8pm as author @sbilston.bsky.social uncovers the strange tale of Cattleya labiata and its archival secrets. An atmospheric dive into plant hunting & archive sleuthing.

Book here: buff.ly/S3ATweG

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 13d

What's the ‘secret sauce’ of shows like Planet Earth and The Green Planet? And what's it like working with Sir David Attenborough?

Join Mike Gunton as he shares clips and stories from a career making award-winning natural history shows.

📆 6pm, 6 November
📍Linnean Society
🎟️From £8

An insider’s guide to the secrets of making a wildlife blockbuster

The BBC Studios Natural History Unit Creative Director and Executive Producer shares the secrets of making a blockbuster wildlife series.

buff.ly

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 13d

We can't wait!

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Reposted by The Linnean Society of London

Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean Society @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social · 13d

Why do some palm clades in Madagascar thrive while others stagnate? Why do some have 1 species, and others 180+? Turns out it's less about that Island Magic & more about inherited traits and timing (when is it not?)! 🌍🧪👇
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
@linneansociety.bsky.social

Explaining extreme differences in species richness among co-occurring palm clades in Madagascar

Abstract. Imbalance in species richness among related clades is a pervasive, yet incompletely understood feature of biodiversity. Comparison of species-poo

doi.org

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 13d

It's #WorldGorillaDay, highlighting this primate which is endangered due to factors including habitat loss, disease and poaching.

This plate in Studia Zoologica (1856) by Anders Gustav Dahlbom (1806-1856), lists the species as Gorilla gina. As far as we know, this gorilla wasn't called Gina!

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 14d

The woods are growing quieter. On 23 Oct, join us in partnership with @britornitholclub.bsky.social for an evening lecture at our building with @richardkbroughton.bsky.social, exploring the dramatic decline of Marsh and Willow Tits - key voices in Britain's woodland soundscape: buff.ly/k6h5bit

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Reposted by The Linnean Society of London

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society @biojlinnsoc.bsky.social · 14d

Looking to the past to predict the future...

DNA & #Climate models revealed the diversification & dispersal history of the Southern Swallowtail butterfly, as well as predicting an 89% decline in suitable habitat by 2070...highlighting the need for urgent #conservation. 🌍🧪👇

Peering into the past and predicting the future of the threatened southern swallowtail, Papilio alexanor Esper, 1799 (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)

Abstract. We investigated the evolutionary history of the threatened southern swallowtail butterfly (Papilio alexanor) using DNA sequences from COI barcode

doi.org

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Reposted by The Linnean Society of London

Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society @botjlinnsoc.bsky.social · 15d

IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!

Not quite Frankenstein's monster, nuclear sequence capture was used on the orchid subtribe Calypsoinae, making a strong case for the resurrection of Kitigorchis as a sister to Corallorhiza! Read about it below 🌍🧪👇

Phylogenomics and intergenomic conflict in a challenging orchid clade (Calypsoinae): monophyly of Corallorhiza, paraphyly of Oreorchis, and resurrection of Kitigorchis

Abstract. Heterotrophic plants are among the most recalcitrant from a systematics perspective because of reduced morphological and genomic features, and of

doi.org

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 15d

It's feeling decidedly chilly here in London. Time to cosy up for some crafting.

On 11 November, knitters can join us in the Linnean Society library to try Lady Pleasance Smith's nature-inspired patterns, and learn how Victorian crafting differed from today.

Get your ticket now!

Workshop | Knit like a Victorian

Ever wondered how knitters coped before standardised patterns and YouTube tutorials? Join us for a workshop based on historical archives.

buff.ly

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Reposted by The Linnean Society of London

Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean Society @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social · 16d

Magic traits may assist sympatric #Ecological speciation, but few examples exist & evidence for their role is rare. Yet, this study found #pleiotropy affected soil preference & flowering time in #Hawea, consistent with speciation!

Check out the full paper 🌍🧪👇

Ecological speciation in sympatric palms: 5. Evidence for pleiotropic speciation genes using gene knockout and high-throughput phenotyping

Abstract. Theoretical models predict that sympatric, ecological speciation may be facilitated more readily when so-called ‘magic traits’ are present, linki

academic.oup.com

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 16d

There are still some tickets remaining!

Don't miss Dr Jane Wildgoose as she shares her comparative readings on collecting from The Wildgoose Memorial Library, launching our brand new exhibition: 'Wonder'.

📅 30 Sept
🕑 6-8PM
📍The Linnean Society

buff.ly/gIF9KEV

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 17d

Botanical artists make a vital contribution to scientific discovery, through meticulous observations of plants.

The Jill Smythies Award recognises botanical artists' contribution, and there's still time to nominate for this year's award.

Find out more and nominate by 30 September

The Jill Smythies Award

buff.ly

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 19d

Last few tickets available! Join us for a cyanotype printing workshop at the Linnean Society. You'll learn about the history of the cyanotype process and its connection to early botany, and discover the history of nature printing.

📍 The Linnean Society
📆 14 October, 11am
buff.ly/QR7RDs5

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