Marine Hall Of Distinction: Doctor Malcolm Roy Clarke
This article is a part of our collection known as the Marine Hall Of Distinction. It is a different series from our main monthly series & has no connection to the main monthly series. In this special collection, we will discuss marine biologists who we feel have served marine biology & oceanography the most. We do this in order to commemorate these marine biologists & to show gratitude for everything they have contributed to our oceans. This collection has no relation to the main monthly series. This series is published on the 25th of every month, shortly after our article on the oceanic environment of a certain region on the 20th. Today’s marine biologist is Malcolm Roy Clarke. Malcolm Roy Clarke is a British Malacologist, Marine Biologist, & Teuthologist. Born on October 24th, 1930, He began his career as a whale inspector for the British Navy. During this time he worked aboard ships in the Antarctic. He is most well known for his research on cephalopods, & sperm whales. He is known to have been one of the first scientists to extract squid beaks from whale carcasses, in order to study them. For the majority of the 1900s as well as part of the 2000s, he was considered to be the world's foremost expert on cephalopods, & their ecology. He is considered to be one of the founders of Cephalopod International. Dr. Clarke is regarded as one of the greatest cephalopod ecologists, recognized for his dedication & contributions. For all of his work across the fields of general marine biology, malacology, & teuthology, he was awarded a fellowship of the Royal Society. In this article, we will discuss the Early Life & Education of Dr. Malcolm Roy Clarke, The Career & Later Life Of Dr. Malcolm Roy Clarke, & The Awards, Honourables, Accomplishments, & Achievements of Dr. Malcolm Roy Clarke. With that being said, let us delve into this Arctic malacologist.
The Early Life & Education Of Malcolm Roy Clarke
Malcolm Roy Clarke was born on October 24th, 1930. He was born in Birmingham, located in the western midlands region of England. Unfortunately, absolutely nothing is known about his childhood or his parents.
The Later Life & Career Of Malcolm Roy Clarke
Malcolm Roy Clarke began his career as a Whale Inspector for the Royal British Navy. During his time as a Whale Inspector, he worked aboard ships in the Antarctic region. This sparked a keen interest in cetaceans, leading him to write his Ph.D. thesis on whale parasites. While working on his thesis, he realized how much information could be recovered from squid beaks if he extracted them from whales. He would go on to extract this information, & while doing so, he would innovate new sampling techniques, & different methods of testing. This would help other naturalists discover a trove of information concerning other animals. Across all available records, it is unclear which year he got his P.hd. It is also unclear whether this was before or after his marriage. In 1953, Dr. Clarke married his wife, Dorothy Clara Knight. They would go on to have a happy marriage, & have 4 children. After he finished his whale inspecting business, he decided to begin working at the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences. He worked at this institution from 1958 to 1972. In that year, he decided to switch to working at the Marine Biological Association Of The United Kingdom. Despite officially retiring in 1981, he would stay with the association until 1987. During his time at the association around 1978, he was awarded a doctorate of science. Soon after in 1981, he was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society. He retired in the year 1981, & purchased a secondary residence in on Pico Island, Portugal. Even though he was retired, his interest in cephalopods did not wane in the slightest. He continued to study various species of squid, as well as examine specimens up close. Astonishingly, He & his wife would open a private sperm whale museum on the island in 2003. This museum is still open, & is thriving. Unfortunately, he passed away on May 10th, 2013, in his second residence on Pico Island. His dedication, & contributions to science will not be forgotten.
The Awards, Achievements, Accomplishments, & Honorable Of Malcolm Roy Clarke
He had a deep sea anglerfish officially named after him. The species of anglerfish is Oneirodes Clarkei.
He authored over 150 scientific articles that were published across a wide array of journals.
He was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Society.
He innovated multiple techniques for experimentation that would help other naturalists discover heaps of new information.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “Dedication: Malcolm Clarke, his life & work”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published By Elsevier. Retrieval Date: February 23rd, 2024.
Citation No. 2: “Malcolm Roy Clarke. 24 October 1930 — 10 May 2013”, Written by Peter J. Herring, & Published on the 1st of December, 2014. Published By Royal Society Publishing. Retrieval Date: February 23rd, 2024.
Citation No. 3: “The role of Malcolm Clarke (1930–2013) in the Azores as a scientist & educationist” ", Written By J.N Gomes-Pereira, R. Prieto, V. Neves, J. Xavier, C. Pham, J. Gonçalves, F. Porteiro, R. Santos, & H. Martins, & Published On July 8th, 2014. Published By the Cambridge University Press. Retrieval Date: February 23rd, 2024.
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