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Y6 EVOLUTION AND
INHERITANCE
LESSON 3:
Charles Darwin
and the voyage of
The Beagle
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TODAY YOU WILL LEARN
• Who Charles Darwin was and what he did
• About his famous voyage on board The
Beagle
• What his “Theory of Evolution by Natural
Selection” is and why it is so important
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WHO WAS
CHARLES DARWIN?
• Born on February 12th 1809
• Started as a priest but didn’t enjoy it
• 1831: Became a naturalist and travelled
around the world on a ship called the
Beagle
• 1859: Published his ‘Theory of Evolution’
in a book called ‘On the Origin of Species’
WHY IS HE SO
IMPORTANT?
For many hundreds of years, scientists had
tried to come up with a way to explain why
there were such a variety of different living
things on Earth. Over a period of many
years, Charles Darwin came up with an
idea called his ‘”Theory of Evolution by
Natural Selection” which attempted to
explain it all.
HOW DID HE COME
UP WITH THE IDEA?
Darwin had long believed that all life forms
had to have changed throughout the
history of life on Earth, though he wasn’t
sure how this had happened. In 1831 he
was able to research this by travelling
around the world on a ship called The
Beagle, which gave him enough evidence
to finally come up with his full Theory of
Evolution by Natural Selection.
THE FIVE YEAR VOYAGE
OF THE BEAGLE
THE FIVE YEAR VOYAGE
OF THE BEAGLE
THE FIVE YEAR VOYAGE
OF THE BEAGLE
1) 27th December 1831:
The ship sets sail from
Plymouth in England
THE FIVE YEAR VOYAGE
OF THE BEAGLE
2) CANARY ISLANDS:
The ship is unable to stop
because of a Cholera
outbreak in England.
Darwin is sad that he
can’t land and see the
islands.
“This was a great
disappointment to Mr. Darwin,
who had cherished a hope of
visiting the Peak of Tenerife”
Captain Fitzroy
THE FIVE YEAR VOYAGE
OF THE BEAGLE
3) CAPE VERDI: Darwin
makes his first important
discovery when he sees
fossil sea shells halfway
up a cliff face.
THE FIVE YEAR VOYAGE
OF THE BEAGLE
4) BRAZIL: Darwin spends a
lot more time ashore,
exploring the rainforests and
collecting many important
specimens of animals, insects
and plants. He also argues
with the Captain!
"When out of temper Captain Fitzroy was utterly
unreasonable. For instance, early in the voyage at Bahia in
Brazil he defended and praised slavery, which I
abominated!” Charles Darwin
THE FIVE YEAR VOYAGE
OF THE BEAGLE
"These poor wretches were stunted in their growth,
their hideous faces bedaubed with white paint, their
skins filthy and greasy, their hair entangled, their
voices discordant, their gestures violent and without
dignity.” Charles Darwin
5) ARGENTINA: Darwin
collects a wide range of
fossils from Patagonia and
the Falkland islands and the
ship is shouted at by the
people of Tierra Del Fuego.
THE FIVE YEAR VOYAGE
OF THE BEAGLE
6) SOUTH AMERICA: Darwin
finds large animal fossils which
would have needed a lot more
vegetation to live than the current
landscape. This makes him
realise that the land must have
changed over time.
Giant Ground Sloth
THE FIVE YEAR VOYAGE
OF THE BEAGLE
7) GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: Darwin
makes his most important discoveries
because of the isolated nature of the
islands, including his famous finch
discoveries which eventually confirm
his famous “Theory of Evolution by
Natural Selection.”
THE FIVE YEAR VOYAGE
OF THE BEAGLE
8) THE VOYAGE HOME: Darwin continues to collect many samples and make
many observations, which become one of the most important natural history
collections of all time and eventually lead to his book “On the Origin of Species’.
WHAT DARWIN LEARNED – HIS
‘THEORY OF EVOLUTION’
• That differences in the offspring of living things
(called VARIATION) create different characteristics
that give them a better or worse chance of survival in
different conditions, called NATURAL SELECTION.
WHAT DARWIN LEARNED – HIS
‘THEORY OF EVOLUTION’
• This slow process over millions of years results in
living things changing to adapt to their environments,
leading to completely new species, which he called the
THEORY OF EVOLUTION.
LEARNING CHECK:
Tell the person next to you ..
• Who Charles Darwin was
• Why his voyage on the
Beagle was so important
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