Meet Dr Leonard P. Annectens

Tom Stubbs

The University of Bristol has many wonderful staff members, from the traditional to the unconventional. However, I bet most of you have never met a member of staff like this before. Dr Leonard P. Annectens is based in the Earth Sciences department. His responsibilities include educating research students and generally keeping an eye on things. Additionally, Dr Leonard P. Annectens has an extensive publication list, including the following high impact paper:  Hone. D.W.E, and Annectens, L.P. 2008. Macrorevolutionary trends in the Lungfish: Dope's rule. Journal of Revolutionary Biology, 245, 587-595.

Smell something fishy yet? OK  well if not, here are a few more of Dr Leonard P. Annectens’s responsibilities. His primary activity is hiding behind a rock and on occasions he entertains visitors. But, most importantly, he is always a "living fossil". Got it yet? Yes, Dr Leonard P. Annectens is in fact the Earth Science department’s very own lungfish. Known by most simply as Leonard, this West African Lungfish (Protopterus annectens) was originally brought into the department for research purposes. Having made such a great impression the powers that be granted him a special academic position researching human behaviour from an aquatic environment and elucidating the evolutionary relationship of dipnoans and tetrapods.In its natural environment Protopterus annectens inhabits temporary floodplains that are completely dry for part of the year. It is omnivorous, feeding on shellfish, amphibians and plants.

Dr Leonard P. Annectens’s staff page.