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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2004 59BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Emílio Goeldi was a Swiss-born Brasilian naturalist. He stud-
ied at the University of Naples before earning his doctorate in

1883 at the University of Jena, where he studied under the famous
evolutionary biologist, Ernst Haeckel. Goeldi emigrated to Brasil
in 1884 to become assistant head of zoology at the Museu
Nacional in Rio de Janeiro. He lost that position as a consequence
of political changes, but, in 1894, accepted an invitation by the
governor of Pará, the large northern state at the mouth of the
Amazon River, to become Director of the Museu Paraense. Goeldi
served in that capacity until 1904, when he resigned for reasons
of health and returned to Switzerland. The museum was subse-
quently renamed the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi in his honor.
In 1908, he became Professor of Zoology at the University of
Bern, a position he held until his death.

Goeldi published in many areas. His most widely recog-
nized work was As Aves do Brasil (The Birds of Brasil), published
in 1894–1900, followed by an atlas in 1900–1906. Most of his
herpetological work dealt with classification and distribution, but
he also had a special interest in reproductive biology. Goeldi dis-
covered Hyla (now Flectonotus) goeldii (named by George A.
Boulenger in 1895), a frog in which the female carries the eggs
attached to her back. Goeldi’s major work in herpetology, Repteis
do Brasil, was completed in 1892–1894, but was never published
as a single volume. Much of the content consisted of compila-
tions from the literature, but many of Goeldi’s field notes (such
as those quoted here by Werner) also were included.

B I O G R A P H I C A L  S K E T C H

Emílio Augusto Goeldi 
(1859–1917)

Emílio Goeldi (photograph courtesy of Kraig Adler).

in fallow fields and orchards. Iguanas readily accepted its leaves,
which are similar in size to those of the coltsfoot. Since we have
been feeding Heckeria peltata, we’ve not lost a single iguana; just
the opposite, as a matter of fact, they are thriving and are, in
many instances, downright fat. They also have begun to exhibit
signs of becoming tame, moving toward the keeper when he
brings them food. We have in a small way endeavored to culti-
vate this plant, specifically for our iguanas. This is in every way
simple, and I am convinced that it would serve well as a crop
raised in greenhouses by zoological gardens. It grows rapidly
and is easily propagated from seeds. This weed requires no spe-
cial care, requiring little investment of effort or money.

“Iguana tuberculata [= Iguana iguana], called ‘cameleão’ by
natives, occurs in great numbers on Mexiana Island, but it is
not easy to find because its green color blends well with the tan-
gled bankside vines on which it prefers to perch. These iguanas
are shy and, once they take flight, literally shoot across the
crowns of trees and bushes with such alacrity that they disap-

pear almost immediately from the view of the hunter and can
be traced only by following the tell-tale crackling of small
branches broken during their effort to escape. They will ascend
the highest forest trees, and I recall one individual I shot down
from an astounding height.

“The nest cavities are typically dug at an angle, with an
approximately two-foot long passage leading to a slightly
enlarged cavity that serves as the egg depository. Because the
sand dunes are repeatedly watered during the rainy season, suf-
ficient moisture is retained to keep the sandy burrow from col-
lapsing. Consequently, these sites lend themselves to easy exca-
vation through loose sand, but retain the moisture necessary to
sustain the eggs. Although the nest cavities are carefully filled
by the females, fresh nests are easy to find, as no effort is made
to wipe out the telltale tracks. Because, however, the direction
of the sloped passage is not always evident, natives probe the
sand and identify the passage or even the egg chamber by the
lack of resistance to their efforts.”

Source: Adler, K. 1989. Herpetologists of the past, pp. 5–141. In K. Adler (ed.), Contributions to the History of Herpetology. Society
for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Contributions to Herpetology, Number 5. Ithaca, New York.


