Heiko Bleher facts for kids

Heiko Bleher (born October 18, 1944 – died August 15, 2025) was a famous German explorer, researcher, and photographer. He was well-known for his amazing journeys to explore rivers and lakes all over the world. During his travels, he found many new types of fish and water plants. Some of these discoveries were even named after him or his family!

About Heiko Bleher

Early Life and Family Adventures

Heiko Bleher was born in Frankfurt on Main, Germany. He was the youngest of four children. Heiko learned to love freshwater fish and aquatic plants from his mother, Amanda Flora Hilda Bleher. His grandfather, Adolf Kiel, was a very important person in the world of water plants. People called him the "Father of Water Plants." In 1900, Adolf Kiel started a huge farm in Germany for plants and ornamental fish.

Heiko's adventures began very early. When he was just 4 years old, his mother took him on a research trip to Equatorial Guinea in West Africa. Two years later, they traveled all over Europe, collecting different plants and fish. When Heiko was seven, he and his siblings joined their mother on an exciting two-year journey deep into the South American jungle. During this trip, his mother found many new kinds of water plants, fish, and other animals.

Exploring the World of Water

In late 1958, Heiko's family moved to Brazil for good. They started a special farm called "Osiris" in the jungle near Rio de Janeiro. This farm grew water plants and raised fish. In 1962, Heiko moved to the United States. He studied at the University of South Florida. There, he learned about fish (ichthyology), living things (biology), lakes and rivers (limnology), oceans (oceanography), and tiny creatures that live on others (parasitology). He also worked at fish farms.

When Heiko returned to Rio de Janeiro in 1964, he started his own company, "Aquarium Rio." This company helped export fish. He continued his research and collected many more species throughout Brazil.

Discovering New Species

Heiko Bleher made many important discoveries. In 1964, he introduced a beautiful fish called the Hemigrammus bleheri, also known as the brilliant rummy-head tetra, to people who kept aquariums. This was the first fish species named after him! He also helped introduce many types of rainbowfish, including the famous Melanotaenia boesemani. In 1970, Heiko was the first to collect live Pterophyllum altum (a type of angelfish) from Venezuela.

Fish and Plants Named in His Honor

Many fish and plants were named after Heiko Bleher and his family because of their important discoveries:

• The tetra fish: Hemigrammus bleheri
• Leporinus bleheri
• Bleheratherina pierucciae
• The Cichlid fish: Steatocranus bleheri (named by M. K. Meyer)
• The Snakehead fish: Channa bleheri
• The African Tetra fish: Phenacogrammus bleheri
• Moenkhausia heikoi
• The Rainbowfish: Chilatherina bleheri
• The Bromeliad plant: Vriesea bleheri (collected by Amanda and Michael Bleher)
• Hyphessobrycon amandae was named to honor Amanda Bleher (Heiko's mother). She collected this fish and knew a lot about the plants and animals of Brazil.