Triops Longicaudatus
Triops Longicaudatus Red
Triops Longicaudatus
Triops Longicaudatus Red
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More than 20,000 sea urchins for science
Doctor donates unique collection to the University of Bonn.
For decades, Dr Hans-Volker Thiel has pursued a passion that goes far beyond what one would commonly refer to as a hobby. For more than fifty years, the Düsseldorf-based orthopaedic surgeon has collected sea urchins from almost every corner of the globe, echinoderms in countless shapes, sizes and colours. Now, at the age of 86, he has decided to donate his extraordinary collection in its entirety to the University of Bonn. More than 20,000 specimens will thus become the property of science.
Sea urchins are familiar to many people, especially from painful encounters: anyone who steps barefoot on one of these spiny sea creatures will not forget the experience. But beyond this experience, these animals reveal an impressive diversity and aesthetic appeal. It is precisely this diversity that will be researched, documented and made accessible to the public in Bonn in the future.
A life dedicated to echinoderms
Large parts of the collection are still stored in several rooms of Thiel’s home in Düsseldorf. However, the first boxes have already arrived at the University of Bonn’s palaeontology department. As soon as additional space is created there, further specimens will follow. Thiel made a conscious decision to bequeath his collection to the University of Bonn. After retiring, he enrolled there as a ‘senior student’ and studied geology and palaeontology.
‘In recent years, I have worked closely with the palaeontologists around Professor Jes Rust,’ explains Thiel. This collaboration has resulted in several scientific publications. For him, it was therefore only logical to donate the collection to the university free of charge. ‘This way, it will be preserved for research and teaching for the long term.’
A valuable gift for research and teaching
The significance of the collection has long been recognised in Bonn. Back in 2019, around 500 specimens from Thiel’s collection attracted considerable interest in the exhibition ‘Sea Urchins – Prickly Beauties’ at the Goldfuß Museum.
The donation agreement has now been signed. Luis Pauly, co-author of a recent illustrated book on sea urchins, will be responsible for organising the relocation of the collection. In addition, Pauly will use the collection to study the early evolution of sea urchins as part of a project funded by the German Research Foundation.
Focus on aesthetics and evolution
The complete scientific cataloguing of the more than 20,000 specimens is expected to take years. However, it is already possible to gain an initial insight into the extraordinary beauty of these animals. The recently published illustrated book ‘Sea Urchins – Prickly Beauties’ features impressive photographs by Georg Oleschinski and is based largely on Hans-Volker Thiel’s collection.
With this donation, the University of Bonn not only receives a unique collection for research and teaching, but also a treasure that documents the fascinating diversity of life in the sea, collected with patience, scientific curiosity and lifelong enthusiasm.
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