At just 14 years old, this teenager from Azeitão has discovered a species of scorpion that may be new to Portugal, leads nature walks, and studies the biodiversity of his school grounds. It all began with injured snails.
From a very young age, Vasco Fonseca saw a world waiting to be discovered in the grass, the trees, and even in the stones of the playground. While other boys filled their pockets with marbles, Vasco carried tiny injured snails in little boxes, to help them heal, he used to say. “He was always walking around with his hands closed, holding some tiny creature, either to protect it or to keep it safe,” his mother recalls, smiling.
Today, at 14, this young naturalist from Azeitão is a familiar face at nature festivals, field trips, and bioblitzs. His eyes light up when he talks about arthropods, mites, scorpions, and wild orchids. And he loves to share what he learns with anyone willing to listen, often with groups of adults who are surprised to see a boy leading biodiversity activities.
“I’m someone who really loves nature. I like to share the little I know with others,” he told Wilder during the Birdwatching Festival, held in Sagres, Algarve, from October 2 to 5.
His passion for the natural world is constantly nurtured through field trips and study. “He researches and studies a lot,” says his mother. “He spends hours doing research, sending emails to biologists — and they reply! Many of them already know him. For example, two years ago he became interested in wild orchids. He really wanted a book about them. We found one by Armando Frazão, and that same day he sent him a message asking where to find a particular species, because he also lived in Arrábida. They immediately started exchanging contacts.”
A passion born early
His parents insist that his love for nature “comes entirely from him.” Since preschool, he has been fascinated by flowers, insects, and tiny creatures. Family walks became the first stage for his endless curiosity. “Since he was little, he’s always been interested in seeing things in nature — and in how spectacular they are,” his father says.
Eight years ago, Vasco and his family took part for the first time in the Sagres Birdwatching and Nature Activities Festival. “It was raining, his brother was still little, and we were pushing the stroller through the muddy trails. It was spectacular,” his father recalls with a smile.
They have returned every year since. In the father’s view, the festival has been “incredibly important” for Vasco, who “has learned so much during the field trips, from the activity guides and experts.” “In the beginning, we came home more tired than when we arrived — but much richer in knowledge,” he adds.
“We meet people who know a lot and we see creatures here that don’t appear anywhere else,” Vasco says. “This festival is really cool.”
It was in Sagres that Vasco experienced some of his most unforgettable moments. “I remember the first time we saw a black stork — it was amazing. And in another festival, they let me release a booted eagle. That was spectacular.”
Vasco’s curiosity, which began with insects and later expanded to other groups of animals and plants, seems to have no limits. He has already taken part in bioblitzes, collaborates with biologists, and even got involved in identifying a black scorpion — a Euscorpius sp. — which he stumbled upon during a nighttime moth survey.
“It’s a new species for Portugal. We still don’t know if it exists elsewhere, if it was introduced here, or if it’s entirely new. It has larger pincers and is completely black. It’s really cool,” Vasco explains. “Scorpions aren’t easy to identify — they’re very similar to one another. They’re cryptic species that are hard to distinguish, even under a microscope. You often need genetic tools to tell them apart.”
A secret garden at school
At the Bocage Secondary School, Vasco created the project Liceu Secreto — “Secret Lyceum” — where he studies biodiversity in a small 30-by-30-metre patch of land. He has already recorded over 500 species, about 200 of which are logged on the iNaturalist platform.
“It’s incredible what shows up there — plants, insects, fungi. It’s amazing because you find a bit of everything,” he says. Vasco shares his findings with classmates and teachers. The reactions vary: “Some friends are into it… others not so much,” he says, smiling.
His growing interest in research also led him to the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Lisbon (FCUL), where he took part in summer science activities last year. “He tried it and really enjoyed it,” his father says. “They invited him to go back and work on preparing insect samples.”
“They set traps in Grândola (at Herdade da Ribeira Abaixo, in Alentejo) to catalogue all the insects and arthropods that appear. Then everything is sorted by groups and later by species — and I went there to help with that work,” Vasco explains.
His mother fondly remembers the first time he entered a university lab:
“He called me and said, ‘Mum, this is what I want to do!’ And I said, ‘Then let’s make it happen!’”
Teaching others to see what’s always been there
Besides exploring, Vasco loves to share what he learns. “The first time he led a guided walk was at Lagoa Pequena, in Sesimbra, near home,” his father recalls. “Last year, he led his second walk here at the Sagres Festival and a third at ObservaLagunas, at Lagoa de Santo André. He’s also organized a few walks at school during open days.”
At the most recent Sagres Birdwatching Festival, held from October 2 to 5, Vasco guided a naturalist walk with 24 participants. “The activity was bilingual,” says his father. “There were only two Portuguese participants. He was a bit nervous about leading it in English, but everything went really well,” adds his mother.
The reactions are always enthusiastic. His mother remembers one woman who almost turned back when she realized the guide for the dune walk was just a teenager.
“But in the end she said, ‘I’m amazed — the kid really knows what he’s talking about.’”
With children, the effect is even stronger. “There was a girl who was terrified of spiders and ended up catching them with her hands,” says his mother. “Between kids, communication just flows more easily.”
Looking at the world with curiosity
Despite his age, Vasco already knows what he wants to do: study Biology, especially the world of arthropods. He’s fascinated by mites — tiny creatures that play a vital role in maintaining ecosystem balance.
“They’re decomposers and predators. There can be more than 100 mites per square metre of soil! It’s amazing.”
But above all, what drives Vasco is the joy of discovery and sharing.
“If people see animals alive, right in front of them, they connect more. A photo is just a photo. But seeing a living creature move — that’s something else.”
Whether among the dunes, the rocks of Arrábida, or the courtyard of his school, Vasco Fonseca keeps searching — and teaching others to see.
Because, as he likes to remind people, “we can only protect what we know.”
