Kew Gardens in London was at the centre of a huge colonial plant trade.
'The world's metropolis', Thomas Hosmer Shepherd, 1855
Scientists have found more ‘alien species’ today in regions that were once key parts of European empires.
Bernard Spragg/flickr
Not only is the black swan important for many Aboriginal people, it was also a potent symbol within the European imagination — 1500 years before Europeans knew it existed.
The giant predators were a deadly danger to early European explorers of the Arctic.
Chris Hellier/Corbis Historical via Getty Images
Do you see a fearsome predator? A fragile icon of impending extinction? What these arctic giants have stood for in art has continually evolved.