Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of HMS Challenger contains hundreds of lithographic plates that illustrate in fantastic detail many of the fauna, flora, and curiosities that Challenger encountered between 1872 and 1876. Despite their number, these drawings cannot begin to show everything the scientists and crew encountered - roughly 4,700 species were first described to Western science on Challenger's voyage, alongside numerous other phenomena of the natural world.

These plates serve as a record not only of scientific rigor and curiosity, but of artistic talent.