This slideshow features illustrations of some of the plants and animals that William Dampier, a naturalist and pirate, observed in Australia (then known as New Holland) and New Guinea. Learn more about Dampier in the Ocean Portal article The Pirate Who Collected Plants.

Australian Plants
Credit: Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, D.C.
New Guinea Bat
Credit: Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, D.C.In 1699, accompanied by a shipboard artist, William Dampier conducted the first scientific investigation of the plants and animals of Australia (then known as New Holland). From there he and his crew sailed to New Guinea, where Dampier had his artist draw this bat with a four-foot wingspan and gamey smell. For more about William Dampier's travels, visit our featured story The Pirate Who Collected Plants.

More Australian Plants
Credit: Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, D.C.
Australian Fish and Cuttlefish
Credit: Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, D.C.
New Guinea Birds
Credit: Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, D.C.
New Guinea Fish and Crab
Credit: Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, D.C.The waters of New Guinea teemed with exotic fishes and crabs, which were faithfully depicted by William Dampier’s artist. When Dampier’s book A Voyage to New Holland was published in 1703, illustrations like these—along with Dampier’s vivid prose—introduced enthusiastic readers to plants, birds, and fish they had never seen before. The book became a bestseller.