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Genri BatesEnglish naturalist and traveller.
Date of Birth: 17.02.1934
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Henry Walter Bates
Henry Walter Bates (1825–1892) was an English naturalist and explorer. He was born on February 8, 1825, in Leicester. From a young age, Bates had a passion for the natural world and published his first scientific work at the age of 18. He worked as a teacher at the Leicester School.
Exploration in Brazil
In 1848, Bates embarked on an expedition to Brazil with another teacher from the same school, A. Wallace. They spent two years traveling together in the Amazon, after which Bates ventured into the upper regions of the river while Wallace explored the Rio Negro. During their journey, Wallace collected a vast collection of insects, including 8,000 new species. Upon his return to England, Bates dedicated himself to processing the collection and in 1861, he delivered a famous lecture on mimicry at the Linnean Society. Bates had discovered this phenomenon while observing butterflies in the tropical forests. He noticed that often among butterflies of one species (the model), there were butterflies of another species (the mimic) that closely resembled the model but were significantly different from their closest relatives. Bates proposed that the model had an unpleasant taste for potential predators, and the mimic protected itself by adopting the appearance of the model. This explanation was in line with the theory of evolution by natural selection. This type of mimicry became known as Batesian mimicry.
Contributions and Publications
In 1863, Bates published his narrative of his journey in Brazil titled "The Naturalist on the River Amazon," which received recognition from readers. In 1864, he was appointed as the assistant secretary of the Royal Geographical Society, where he carried out administrative and publishing tasks while continuing his research on insects. In 1881, he was elected as a Fellow of the Geographical Society. Bates passed away in London on February 16, 1892.
