Published Paper's Most-Read Section Is the Acknowledgments, Where Author Thanks Their Fish

A peer-reviewed paper on allopatric speciation in East African cichlids has become one of the most-downloaded articles in the history of the Journal of Fish Biology, though publisher analytics reveal that the overwhelming majority of readers navigate directly to the acknowledgments section, where the author thanks his study organisms by name.

The paper, a rigorous 47-page analysis of morphometric divergence in Haplochromis populations across Lake Victoria's satellite lakes, was authored by Dr. Neville Substrate of the Natural History Museum in London. The acknowledgments read, in part:

'The author extends sincere gratitude to the 847 individual cichlids who participated in this study, many of whom gave their lives in the service of science. Special thanks to Specimen LV-2019-0447, who displayed the most pronounced supraorbital morphology the author has encountered in twenty years of fieldwork, and who will be missed.'

The paragraph has been shared on social media over 30,000 times, with comments ranging from 'this is the most human thing I've ever read in a journal article' to 'I am crying about a fish I have never met.'

Dr. Substrate was surprised by the response. 'I acknowledge my specimens in every paper,' he said. 'They are the subjects of the research. They endure handling, measurement, and in many cases, euthanasia. The least I can do is mention them by catalogue number.'

When asked about Specimen LV-2019-0447 specifically, Dr. Substrate was quiet for a moment. 'Extraordinary supraorbital crest,' he said. 'Absolutely textbook allopatric divergence. I kept the skull on my desk for a year before accessioning it. That is not standard practice. I am aware of that.'

The journal's editor has noted that the paper's actual scientific content 'is also excellent, for anyone who makes it past the acknowledgments.'