Johannes Hürzeler
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Johannes Hürzeler (1 February 1908 – 24 July 1995) was a Swiss paleontologist.
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Johannes Hürzeler | |
|---|---|
Grave at Wolfgottesacker, Basel | |
| Born | February 1, 1908 Gretzenbach, Switzerland |
| Died | July 24, 1995 (aged 87) Basel, Switzerland |
| Known for | Research on Oreopithecus |
| Awards | Corresponding member of the Académie des sciences (1971) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Paleontology, Zoology |
| Workplaces | University of Basel |
Biography
Hürzeler was professor of zoology at the University of Basel. In 1958, he discovered in a lignite mine in Tuscany fossils of an upright-walking primate dating back 8 to 10 million years, which he named "Homo bambolii". The discovery, however, was not widely accepted, as many considered it impossible that a complete primate skeleton from the Miocene could be found. [1][2]
Hürzeler also argued that Oreopithecus was a direct ancestor of the great apes, a claim that was so controversial among experts that he was not even invited to a 1985 symposium on Oreopithecus. Disillusioned, Hürzeler abandoned his research. The phylogenetic position of Oreopithecus within primates remains unresolved.[1][2]
In 1971, he was elected a corresponding member of the Académie des sciences.[3]
He was buried at the Wolfgottesacker cemetery in Basel.
Selected works
- Contribution à l'odontologie et à la phylogénèse du genre Pliopithecus Gervais. In: Annales de Paléontologie. Vol. 40, 1954, pp. 5–63.
- Oreopithecus bambolii Gervais: a preliminary report. In: Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft Basel. Vol. 69, 1958, pp. 1–47.