#gesnerday

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.  

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. 

#GesnerDay!

Happy Birthday, Conrad Gesner! Today is #GesnerDay, which marks the 501st anniversary of Conrad Gesner's birth. Considered the founder of modern zoology, Gesner completed his five-volume work, Historia Animalium, cataloging the natural history of animals known during the Renaissance. Carol Linnaeus's groundbreaking work in taxonomy would not come until 200 years later, which makes Gesner's work incredibly important in the study of biodiversity and the history of zoology. 

Happy Caturday!

This kitteh is a bit old—nearly 500 years old. It is from Conrad Gesner’s Historia Animalium. (1560)

Conrad Gesner’s elephant makes us happy, even if it looks a bit wonky.

Act quick like a squirrel and you can tune in with @BioDivLibrary on their Facebook Page to see Conrad Gesner books from our Cullman Library collection! He was basically zoology’s dad. Check it out and see charming woodblock prints from the 16th century!

#GesnerDay!