Richard Fortey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Fortey
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Fortey in 2014
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| Born |
Richard Alan Fortey
15 February 1946 |
| Died | 7 March 2025 (aged 79) |
| Awards | Frink Medal (2000) Fellow of the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize (2006) Linnean Medal (2006) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Paleontology |
| Institutions | University of Cambridge Natural History Museum |
| Thesis | Stratigraphy, Palaeoecology and Trilobite Faunas of the Valhallfonna Formation NY Friesland, Spitsberge |
| Doctoral advisor | Harry B. Whittington |
Richard Alan Fortey (born 15 February 1946 – died 7 March 2025) was a British palaeontologist, natural historian, writer, and television presenter. He was known for his work on trilobites and other ancient arthropods. He also studied the history of life and geography during the Paleozoic era, especially the Ordovician period.
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Early Life and Discoveries
Richard Fortey was born in Ealing, west London, in 1946. He spent much of his childhood exploring the countryside near Newbury. His family owned a caravan and later a cottage by a chalk stream.
Finding His First Trilobite
When he was 14, Fortey went on a school trip to Pembrokeshire. There, he found his very first trilobite fossil. He described this moment as a "revelation," feeling a connection across 500 million years. This discovery sparked his lifelong passion for fossils.
Education and Early Expeditions
Fortey attended Ealing Grammar School for Boys. He later studied Natural Sciences, focusing on geology, at King's College, Cambridge. He graduated with top honors in 1968. His tutor, Harry B. Whittington, was a leading expert on trilobites.
At 21, while still a student, Fortey joined an expedition to Spitsbergen in Norway. He collected many trilobites there. The fossils he found were so important that they led to a second expedition in 1971. He discovered 100 new species of trilobites, which became the basis for his PhD. He earned both his PhD and a DSc from the University of Cambridge.
Working at the Natural History Museum
Fortey often visited the Natural History Museum in London during his school days. He was inspired by the "experts who work on fossils" there. In 1970, he became a research fellow at the museum. He spent his entire career there as a palaeontologist, retiring in 2006.
Research on Ancient Life
His main area of study was trilobites and graptolites, especially those from the Ordovician period. He researched how these creatures were classified, how they evolved, and how they lived. He also studied the ancient geography of the Ordovician period. Fortey explored the evolution of arthropods and how different groups of animals developed over time.
He wrote over 250 scientific papers about trilobites and ancient geology. He also wrote many popular science books for a wider audience. These books covered topics like geology, palaeontology, and natural history. Some well-known titles include Trilobite! and Dry Store Room No. 1.
Television Appearances
From 2012, Richard Fortey became a television presenter for BBC Four. He hosted natural history programs, sharing his knowledge with the public.
Collaborations with David Attenborough
Fortey appeared in several programs with David Attenborough. These included Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives (1989) and First Life (2010). In First Life, he traveled with Attenborough to the Atlas mountains to find and film trilobite fossils. He also contributed to The Future Is Wild, a documentary series about what future life on Earth might look like.
Hosting His Own Series
In 2012, Fortey presented Survivors: Nature's Indestructible Creatures on BBC Four. This series looked at modern animals whose ancestors survived major extinction events. In 2013, he presented The Secret Life of Rock Pools.
In 2014, Fortey hosted Fossil Wonderlands: Nature's Hidden Treasures, a three-part series. He then presented The Magic of Mushrooms, showing the close relationships between fungi, plants, and animals. In 2016, he presented Nature’s Wonderlands: Islands of Evolution, a three-part series about evolution on islands.
Awards and Recognition
Richard Fortey received many awards for his scientific work and his popular science writing.
Academic Awards
He won the Lyell Medal from the Geological Society of London and the Linnean Medal for Zoology. He was also awarded the Frink Medal and the R. C. Moore Medal. In 1997, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, a very high honor for scientists.
Awards for Writing
His popular science books also earned him awards. The Hidden Landscape won the Natural World Book of the Year award in 1994. He received the Lewis Thomas Prize for science writing in 2003. In 2006, he won the Michael Faraday Prize from the Royal Society for explaining science to the public.
Several of his books were shortlisted for major literary prizes. Life: An Unauthorised Biography was named one of the ten Books of the Year by The New York Times.
Fortey was also elected president of the Geological Society of London in 2007. He received honorary degrees from several universities, including the University of St Andrews and the Open University. In 2009, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Books by Richard Fortey
- A Curious Boy, William Collins (2021)
- Fossils: The Key to the Past, Natural History Museum (1982, fifth edition 2015)
- The Hidden Landscape, Jonathan Cape (1993)
- Life: An Unauthorised Biography. A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth, HarperCollins (1997)
- Trilobite!: Eyewitness to Evolution, HarperCollins (2000)
- The Earth: An Intimate History, HarperCollins (2004)
- Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum, HarperPress (2008)
- Survivors: The Animals and Plants That Time Has Left Behind, HarperCollins (2011)
- The Wood for the Trees: The Long View of Nature from a Small Wood, William Collins (2016)
He also wrote humorous books under different names:
- The Roderick Masters Book of Money-Making Schemes, or How to Become Enormously Wealthy with Virtually No Effort, Routledge & Kegan Paul (1981)
- Bindweed's Bestseller, Pan Books (1982)
Death
Richard Fortey passed away on March 7, 2025, at the age of 79, after a short illness.
