Taxon Expeditions

03/09/2026

We haven’t posted in a while… and there’s a very good reason for that: we’ve been ridiculously busy!

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind behind the scenes at Taxon Expeditions. We’ve been:

🌿 Making the final preparations for our upcoming expedition to Suriname
📝 Writing (and rewriting!) grant applications
🔬 Spending lots of time in the lab
🧑‍🔬 Interviewing new lab volunteers
🪲 And, of course, still processing the many, many samples we brought back from this summer’s expeditions.

So while things may have looked a little quiet on Instagram, there has been a lot happening behind the scenes!

14/08/2026

We are looking for a Volunteer Collection Manager!

Behind every biodiversity discovery is a carefully curated specimen collection. At Taxon Lab in Leiden, we preserve, study, and digitise specimens collected through our research projects in the Netherlands and abroad.

What we offer:

✅A cozy international team of students, researchers, and volunteers
✅Work with Dr. Iva Njunjic and Menno Schilthuizen
✅Training in specimen preservation, curation, and labelling, as well as invertebrate taxidermy, taxonomy, collection management, and collection digitization
✅The option to assist in our field projects in The Netherlands and abroad
✅Flexible and independent work

We seek a person who:

✅Is available at least one day per week
✅Lives in or near Leiden
✅Has at least a basic knowledge of, and interest in, insects and/or other invertebrates
✅Is patient, careful, and organised
✅Has working knowledge of databases, spreadsheets, and platforms like iNaturalist or waarneming.nl

Interested? Send us an email with a brief motivation letter and a CV.

This is a position on voluntary basis. We offer training but no salary. However, in due course, paid work for one or more of our budgeted projects might be possible.

08/08/2026

Our two newly described snail species from Montenegro are getting quite some media attention! 🤩

The story of Cochlostoma komarnica and Cochlostoma dobrido has just been featured by Science Tech Daily, highlighting our recent discovery and the work behind documenting Montenegro’s remarkable biodiversity.

And what an honour that our new snails were also named the ANIMALS OF THE WEEK by Dutch daily Trouw in an article by Jelle Reumer, with extensive coverage of the work of Taxon Expeditions.

Not bad for two tiny snails! 🐌✨

03/08/2026

Our two new snail species are in the news on the Netherlands’ major nature news website 🥳

Mixed teams of scientists and citizens, including Leiden evolution biologist Menno Schilthuizen, have discovered two new snail species in northwestern Montenegro. The discovery underscores the region's importance for hidden biodiversity and the need for conservation.

29/07/2026

Celebrating a new group of invasive species experts!
After days of lectures, discussions, and hands-on practical sessions, our participants completed their training and received their certificates. 🥂👏

Invasive alien species are one of the major challenges for biodiversity conservation today. Understanding how these species arrive, spread, interact with native ecosystems, and how we can monitor and manage them is essential for protecting our natural environment.

During this course, participants explored the biology and ecology of invasive species, learned about identification and monitoring methods, and gained practical tools to recognise and address biological invasions.

A big congratulations to all participants for their enthusiasm, curiosity, and commitment to learning more about this important topic!

27/07/2026

The discovery of two snail species new to science highlights the exceptional biodiversity of the Komarnica Canyon and surroundings 🐚

Meet them and learn what makes them so special:

The discovery of two species of snail previously unknown to science, Cochlostoma komarnica and Cochlostoma dobrido, highlights the exceptional biodiversity of Komarnica Canyon and its surroundings. This reinforces calls for the long-term protection of the area.

27/07/2026

27/07/2026

Meet Cochlostoma komarnica, a newly described land snail discovered in the spectacular KOMARNICA CANYON, Montenegro.

The species was discovered during a Secret Canyon Expedition organised by Taxon Expeditions , where international scientists, citizen scientists, students from Montenegro, and members of the Crnogorsko Drustvo Ekologa CDE (Montenegrin Ecologists Society) worked side by side to explore the canyon’s remarkable biodiversity.

The biodiversity surveys in Komarnica were initiated by Crnogorsko Drustvo Ekologa CDE to document the unique wildlife of this extraordinary landscape, which is currently under threat from a proposed hydropower dam.

The discovery of Cochlostoma komarnica is a reminder that even in Europe, species new to science are still waiting to be found—and that protecting places like Komarnica means protecting biodiversity we are only just beginning to understand.

And this is just the beginning! 👀 We have more exciting discoveries from our work in Montenegro that we’ll be announcing soon.

Follow us to stay up to date with our latest discoveries, and if you’d like to become part of the next one, join us on a future Secret Canyon Expedition.

🔗 Read the paper via the link in our bio.

20/07/2026

We’re excited to share that a new beetle species discovered on our Borneo expedition has now been officially described in a scientific publication! 🥳🥳🥳

What makes this discovery even more special is that it was discovered by lay people - our expedition participants working alongside professional researchers and local collaborators.

This is exactly why we created Taxon Expeditions: to show that scientific discovery can be something you take part in, not just read about.

By bringing together researchers, local experts, and citizen scientists, we’re helping document Earth’s biodiversity and inspiring more people to connect with nature.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the expedition and to the authors of the paper!

18/07/2026

One of the best parts of leading scientific expeditions is that every year we meet incredible people. They arrive as participants and collaborators, and before long they become friends and an unforgettable part of the adventure.

This year, we had the pleasure of welcoming two new experts to our Secret Canyon Expedition: Micha and Gunnar.

Micha is an endless source of natural history knowledge, capable of turning even the smallest fly into the star of an unforgettable story.

After seeing his remarkably accurate crane fly impression, we started wondering whether he studies them—or simply is one. 😄

And then there’s Gunnar—an outstanding expert on moth flies whose enthusiasm is as contagious as his sense of humor. Between identifying tiny insects, he somehow managed to become the expedition’s unofficial entertainer, supplying an endless collection of hilarious poses and facial expressions that kept everyone laughing.

Scientific expeditions aren’t only about collecting specimens and publishing papers. They’re also about the people you meet along the way—the ones whose curiosity, passion, and humor make every discovery even more memorable.

We’re already looking forward to the next adventure together!