Deep Sea Angler, 1838-1840

Deep Sea Angler, 1838-1840. Engraving by Mougeot after Valenciennes, of an angler fish which lures prey using the spine of the dorsal fin which is often luminous. From 'Voyages de la Commission scientifique du Nord, en Scandinavie, en Laponie, au Spitzberg et au Feroe, pendant les annees 1838, 1839 et 1840 sur la corvette la Recherche' edited by naval surgeon Paul Gaimard (1790-1858) and published in Paris in 1852. This was an account of a French scientific expedition to Scandinavia led by Gaimard in 'La Recherche' between 1838 and 1840. The expedition visited Iceland, Lapland, Spitzbergen, Northern Norway, the Faroe Islands and Archangel. French and Scandinavian scientists studied plant and animal life in the area as well as its oceanography, anthropology, meteorology and geology. ©SSPL/Science Museum