Johann Maria Hildebrandt
German explorer, collector, and scientist (1847–1881)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Johann Maria Hildebrandt (born 13 or 19 March 1847; died 29 May 1881) was a German explorer, collector, and scientist.
- Explorer
- collector
- scientist
Johann Maria Hildebrandt | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 or 19 March 1847 Düsseldorf, Germany |
| Died | 29 May 1881 (aged 34) |
| Occupations |
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Biography
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Hildebrandt was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, to a family of painters. Originally a machine maker, he lost an eye after an accident and became a gardener, eventually starting work in 1869 for the Berlin Botanical Garden. Between 1872 and 1881, Hildebrandt made a number of expeditions to the Horn of Africa and the African Great Lakes, collecting a large number of botanical and zoological specimens. His expeditions were for the most part modest affairs, but he discovered a number of new species. He also lectured widely and wrote about many aspects of the places he visited.
Hildebrandt died of a fever and stomach bleeding whilst on an expedition to Madagascar and was buried in the Norwegian Cemetery in Ambatovinaky. He gave his name to a number of species, including Hildebrandt's starling (Lamprotornis hildebrandti), the cycad Encephalartos hildebrandtii and Hildebrandt's spurfowl (Pternistis hildebrandti), all of which he discovered in Kenya in the African Great Lakes region.[1] Hildebrandt is commemorated in the scientific names of three species of reptiles: Hemirhagerrhis hildebrandtii, Paracontias hildebrandti, and Trachylepis hildebrandtii.[2] One frog genus, Hildebrandtia, bears his name.[3]