Heinrich Kuhl facts for kids
Heinrich Kuhl (born September 17, 1797 – died September 14, 1821) was a German naturalist and zoologist. Naturalists study nature, and zoologists focus on animals.
Kuhl was born in Hanau, Germany. From 1817 to 1820, he worked as an assistant to a professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He was very busy writing about animals. In 1817, he published a book about bats.
In 1819, he wrote a detailed study about parrots called Conspectus psittacorum. He also wrote the first book ever about petrels, which are a type of seabird. With his friend Johan Coenraad van Hasselt, he published a book called "Contributions to Zoology and Comparative Anatomy" in 1820.
Contents
Exploring the World for Science
In 1820, Heinrich Kuhl became an assistant at the Leiden Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (a natural history museum) in the Netherlands. He then went on an exciting trip to Java, which was part of the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia).
He traveled with his friend, Johan van Hasselt. Their goal was to study the amazing animals of the island. They collected many specimens to send back to the museum in Leiden. They sent back 200 animal skeletons and 200 skins from 65 different types of mammals.
They also collected 2,000 bird skins, 1,400 fish, and 300 reptiles and amphibians. Plus, they gathered many insects and crustaceans. Kuhl also discovered and described many new species and genera (groups of species) of amphibians and reptiles.
Sadly, Heinrich Kuhl died in 1821 in Buitenzorg (now Bogor) on Java. He got a liver infection, likely from the climate and working too hard. He had only been in Java for less than a year. His friend, Johan van Hasselt, continued their work but also passed away two years later. They are buried together in the Botanical Garden, Bogor.
Animals Named After Kuhl
Many animals have been named after Heinrich Kuhl to honor his important work as a naturalist and zoologist.
Fish Species
- Blue-spotted stingray or Kuhl's stingray, Neotrygon kuhlii
- Shortfin devil ray, Mobula kuhlii
- Kuhl's loach or kuhli loach, Pangio kuhlii
- Kuhlia, a group of marine fish known as flagtails
Amphibians and Reptiles
- Kuhl's creek frog or large-headed frog, Limnonectes kuhlii, found in Southeast Asia
- Kuhl's forest dragon, Gonocephalus kuhli, a lizard found in Indonesia
- Kuhl's flying gecko, Ptychozoon kuhli, a gecko found in Southeast Asia
Bird Species
- Rimatara lorikeet or Kuhl's lorikeet, Vini kuhlii, a type of lorikeet found on islands in the South Pacific
Mammal Species
- Axis kuhlii, also known as the Bawean deer
- Callithrix kuhlii, a type of marmoset
- Pipistrellus kuhlii, known as Kuhl's pipistrelle (a bat)
Images for kids
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Kuhl's ghost crab, Ocypode kuhlii
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Adult male Bawean deer, Axis kuhlii
See also
- List of herpetologists
- Category:Taxa named by Heinrich Kuhl
