Karl Hermann Konrad Burmeister (January 15, 1807 – May 2, 1892) was a German zoologist, entomologist, and herpetologist.

Burmeister was born in Stralsund

Stralsund

- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...

 and became a professor of Zoology at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg from 1837 to 1861. In 1848, during the revolutionary excitement, he was sent by the city of Halle

Halle, Saxony-Anhalt

Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...

 as deputy to the national assembly

Frankfurt Parliament

The Frankfurt Assembly was the first freely elected parliament for all of Germany. Session was held from May 18, 1848 to May 31, 1849 in the Paulskirche at Frankfurt am Main...

, and subsequently by the town of Leibnitz

Leibnitz

Leibnitz is a city in the Austrian state of Styria and at the 2001 census had a population of approximately 7.577 .It is located to the south of the city of Graz, between the Mur and Sulm rivers....

 to the first Prussian chamber. He traveled to Brazil from 1850 to 1852 and Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 from 1857 to 1860, returning to Germany with zoological collections. In 1861 he went to live in Argentina, founding the Institute at the Museo Nacional in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

.
He also headed the Academy of Sciences, formed from the scientific faculty of Argentina's National University of Córdoba

National University of Córdoba

The National University of Córdoba, , is the oldest university in Argentina, and one of the oldest in the Americas. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province. Since the early 20th century it has been the second largest university in the country in terms of the number of students,...

.

In the field of herpetology

Herpetology

Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles...

 he described many new species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of amphibians and reptiles.

External links

• Jens Andermannn-Relics and Selves