T


he goal seemed simple enough. Go to


the country of Cameroon. Visit 10 specific lakes. Find out what lives in each. I wasn’t thinking about the problems and the dangers I might face. What I was thinking about was fish. I am an ichthyologist. T at means I


study fish. T e lakes I wanted to study are part of a chain of volcanic crater lakes. Volcanic explosions formed circular


craters. Over time, the craters filled with water. Because of the way they formed, each of the lakes is its own laboratory. T ey aren’t connected to anything else. And most have never been studied by scientists. I study speciation. T at’s the process


by which new species develop in an environment. I hoped I would find new species in these lakes. I also thought I would find fish that only lived in this part of the world. Perhaps my discoveries will be used


to protect these lakes from human development. At least my findings could teach us what we could be losing if the lakes remained threatened. So that was the plan. I chose Lake Edib


as my first stop. But how would I get there? T ere are no roads, few villages, and fewer people familiar with the forests in that area. Still, I was determined. I had high hopes of finding new species.


EUROPE ASIA AFRICA Cameroon


ATLANTIC OCEAN


INDIAN OCEAN


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