About Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, and biologist, best known for independently developing the theory of evolution by natural selection.
Wallace carried out extensive explorations of the Amazon rainforest and the Malay Archipelago (present-day Malaysia and Indonesia), where he collected tens of thousands of animal specimens. He observed how different species were distributed across geographical regions, leading to significant insights into how species adapt and evolve.
In 1858, Wallace sent Darwin an essay outlining his theory of natural selection.
This prompted Darwin to publish his own ideas, resulting in both men’s work being presented together to the Linnean Society of London. Wallace also made major contributions to the field of biogeography—the study of how and why species are distributed in particular areas. One of his most famous discoveries is the "Wallace Line" (a term suggested by Huxley), an invisible boundary dividing the fauna and flora of Asia and Australasia, which reflects deep evolutionary separations.
Beyond his scientific work, Wallace was deeply interested in social issues, including human rights, spiritualism, and environmental conservation. Although less well-known than Charles Darwin, Wallace’s work remains fundamental to our understanding of evolution and biodiversity.
The beginnings
Alfred Russel Wallace was born in 1823 in the town of Usk. After finishing school, he worked with his brother at a surveying company before taking a teaching position in Leicester in 1844.
It was in Leicester that Wallace met Henry Walter Bates, a passionate naturalist. Bates introduced Wallace to the fascinating world of beetle collecting, sparking his curiosity for scientific exploration.
Just four years later, driven by their mutual love of discovery and inspired by tales of adventures in the New World and Oceania, Wallace and Bates set off on an expedition to the Amazon rainforest.
In 1848, they arrived at the mouth of the Amazon River. Their goal was to explore the region and uncover clues about the origins of species.
After more than four years in the Amazon, Wallace boarded a ship back to England. Disaster struck when the vessel caught fire in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Almost all of his specimens—birds, beetles, and butterflies—as well as his drawings and scientific notes were lost as the ship sank. Thankfully, everyone on board was rescued by a passing vessel.
Despite this devastating loss, Wallace’s determination remained strong. Within a year, he set his sights on new horizons and embarked on his next major expedition—to Southeast Asia.
The Malay Archipelago
In 1854, Wallace set off to explore the Malay Archipelago, a vast region that today encompasses Malaysia and Indonesia.
Over the course of eight years, he gathered an astonishing 125,660 specimens, including more than 5,000 species previously unknown to Western science.
Upon his return to England, Wallace published The Malay Archipelago, a detailed and captivating
travel book. His vivid descriptions of remote islands, spectacular birds of paradise, orangutans, and encounters with Indigenous communities offered readers an enthralling glimpse into a part of the world few Europeans had ever seen.
Wallace and Darwin were good friends
In 1858, while suffering from fever and resting in his hut on the island of Ternate (now part of Indonesia), Wallace had a breakthrough. He realised that species evolve through a process in which only the fittest individuals survive and pass on their beneficial traits to their offspring — a concept now known as natural selection.
Excited by his discovery, Wallace wrote to Charles Darwin, knowing of Darwin’s keen interest in the subject. Darwin had been working on the same theory for two decades but had not yet published his findings.
Darwin sought advice from his scientific colleagues, who decided that both men’s work should be presented together at a meeting of the Linnean Society of London in July 1858.
The following year, Darwin published his groundbreaking book On the Origin of Species. Although Darwin’s name became more closely associated with the theory of evolution by natural selection — overshadowing Wallace’s role — Wallace showed no bitterness. On the contrary, he became one of Darwin’s most loyal supporters.
Wallace’s contribution to evolutionary science, along with Darwin’s endorsement, secured his place among the most respected figures in the scientific community. Over the course of his life, he authored more than 20 books, over 1,000 articles, and letters, leaving behind a vast intellectual legacy.