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Linnean Trivia.
Linnaeus’ remains comprise the type specimen for Homo
sapiens , because he used his own body as the basis for his
description of the species.
After the death of Anders Celcius in 1744, Linnaeus, who
was a family friend, inverted the Celcius temperature
scale. Previously, the boiling point of water was
designated as zero degrees and the freezing point at 100
degrees.
Linnaeus advocated for women to breast feed and avoid
using wet nurses, based upon the health of babies he had
observed in Lapland, which were breast fed.
Upon the death of Linnaeus in 1778, renowned English
botanist Sir Joseph Banks expressed interest in
purchasing his collections.
In his early publications, Linnaeus included mythical
creatures such as the phoenix and dragons in a
classification called Paradoxa , although this does not
necessarily mean that he believed in the existence of these
creatures. He once exposed a supposed hydra as a hoax,
and wrote that remains touted as being from dragons
were in reality likely to be from either lizards or rays.
The shield in Linnaeus’ coat of arms is divided into three
parts: one for each kingdom (animal, vegetable and
mineral). At the centre is an egg.
How many species did Linnaeus name and describe
during his lifetime? The 10 th edition of Systema Naturae ,
published in 1758, details around 6,000 plants and 4,300
animals. But reliable research puts the total number of
plant species at more than 9,000, which would mean he
named at least 13,300 organisms.