Happy Gesner Day!
The creator of the foundational texts of zoology was born on this date, March 26, in 1516.
Since these encyclopedic works that compiled descriptions of all known animals included a little cryptozoology, too, we thought it might be ok to demonstrate our excitement with a unicorn vomiting a rainbow. Gesner tried to distinguish fact from fiction through direct observation—an important step in establishing science as a discipline. But there are still plenty of entries for mythical beasts. Â
Now that we have your attention, go check out Icones animalium quadrupedum uiuiparorum et ouiparorum (1560) in our digital library, and see many more titles in the @biodivlibrary.Â
There should be plenty of posts with #GesnerDay on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, too, so please search #GesnerDay on your platform of choice and join in on the fun!
