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Longhorn cowfish

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Longhorn cowfish

Laerle, Joris Joostensz.

The Moluccan fleet of the Fifth Expedition sailed to the Indonesian archipelago and back to the Netherlands over the course of two years: 1601 to 1603. Along the way, the crew would frequently catch fish from the oceans and seas that the ships traversed. Many of these were drawn in the journal of the Gelderland under the command of admiral Wolphert Harmensz, giving us insights into the great diversity of species the expedition encountered. – This remarkable fish is a longhorn cowfish, which lives in and around the Pacific and Indian Ocean in coastal areas. This longhorn cowfish (Lactoria cornuta) was probably drawn by Joris Joostensz. Laerle, artist on board of flagship Gelderland.

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Sources and literature

Morree, Perry, Dodo's en galjoenen: De reis van het schip Gelderland naar Oost-Indië, 1601-1603