Darwin Knocked a Fox On Its Head During his Voyage, and We Now Call the Fox Darwin’s Fox

Why Charles Darwin described the Voyage of the HMS Beagle as the most important event in his life, and how the species of fox he found during the voyage is faring.

Reprinted in Charles Darwin: His Life Told in an Autobiographical Chapter, and in a Selected Series of His Published Letters, edited by Francis Darwin. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street. 1892. (Public Domain)

Who Is Charles Darwin?

Most of us know that Charles Darwin for his contribution to the science of evolution.

Less is known about his early work as a naturalist and an author.

Very few books by naturalists or about nature come to mind that could rival Charles Darwin’s The Voyage of the Beagle.

But even back then when it was published, The Voyage of the Beagle, a memoir of Charles Darwin’s journey of discovery abroad the HMS Beagle was a bestseller. It was published multiple times in different versions by the publisher, who was hoping to eke out as much profit as possible.

Today, given the importance of evolution, the book’s prominence has been relegated to the background. To many who know the work, it is the book that documents the travels that led Darwin to write the book, On the Origin of Species, containing his groundbreaking thesis.