Ángel Cabrera (naturalist) facts for kids

Ángel Cabrera (born February 19, 1879 – died July 8, 1960) was an important Spanish zoologist. He was born in Madrid, Spain. He studied at the Universidad Central in Madrid.

Cabrera started working at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid in 1902. He went on several trips to Morocco to collect animal samples. In 1907, he suggested that the Iberian wolf was a special type of wolf. He gave it the scientific name Canis lupus signatus.

This picture from Cabrera's book Genera Mammalium (1919) shows an platypus.

In 1925, Cabrera moved to Argentina and lived there for the rest of his life. He became the head of the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Museo de La Plata. He traveled to places like Patagonia and Catamarca to find fossils.

Discovering Dinosaurs

In Patagonia, Ángel Cabrera made an amazing discovery. He found the very first Jurassic dinosaur in South America. This discovery led to many more finds in that area. Patagonia became known as one of the best places to find dinosaur remains.

Cabrera also helped train some of the first paleontologists in South America. These included scientists like Mathilde Dolgopol de Sáez. His son, Ángel Lulio Cabrera, also became a famous botanist in Argentina.

Sharing Science with Everyone

Ángel Cabrera wrote about 27 books during his life. He worked hard to share his knowledge of zoology with people who were not scientists. He wanted everyone to learn about animals.

Some of his well-known books include:

• Catálogo de los mamíferos de América del Sur (Catalogue of South American Mammals)
• Zoología pintoresca (Picturesque Zoology)
• Historia de Leones (Story of Lions)
• Los mamíferos extinguidos (Extinct Mammals)

These books were written in a way that was easy for everyone to understand.

See also

In Spanish: Ángel Cabrera Latorre para niños