Historical Herpetology
An artist at heart: Gerard Krefft.
The latest in our continuing series of articles about Australian pioneers.
I
f the name Krefft sounds familiar,
this may be simply because it
now adorns many native Australian
species, in honour of one of our most
renowned early zoologists. Those
with an interest in herpetology need
look no further than the Southern
Dwarf Crown Snake (Cacophis
krefftii) and Queensland Krefft’s
Turtle (Emydura macquarii krefftii).
Johann Ludwig Gerard ‘Louis’
Krefft was born in Germany on 17
February 1830. The son of a confec-
tioner, he showed early artistic talent
and expressed a desire to study
painting. In around 1850 he
emigrated to New York, and in
November 1852 he arrived in
Victoria. After working on a variety
of goldfields and failing to secure his
Krefft returned to Australia, landing
in Sydney in 1860, where he was
offered the position of Assistant
Curator at the Australian Museum.
Becoming Curator in 1864, Krefft
expanded the museum’s collections
and gained international acclaim. He
corresponded with many eminent
scientists, including Charles Darwin,
and was one of the few early advo-
cates of Darwin’s theory of evolution
in Australia. Among his achieve-
ments, Krefft excavated the rich
fossil deposits in the Wellington
Caves, authored at least 200 articles
and scientific papers, and was
responsible for describing many new
species, including the Queensland
Lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri). He
is also remembered for two beauti-
fully-produced books; The Snakes of
Australia (published in 1869), and
The Mammals of Australia (1871).
Both contained plates by sisters
Harriet and Helena Scott, which
were coloured as required. Although
he possessed a broad knowledge of
the natural sciences, Krefft had a
particular interest in snakes, and The
Snakes of Australia is considered by
many to be his opus magnum and
one of the most important herpeto-
‘Krefft was one of the
earliest advocates of
D ARWIN ’ S THEORY OF
EVOLUTION in Australia.’
fortune, he joined William
Blandowski’s expedition to the
Lower Murray and Darling Rivers in
1857. More than 17,000 natural
history specimens were collected,
and Krefft, who had also compiled
some 500 drawings, was subse-
quently employed by Frederick
McCoy at the National Museum of
Victoria to catalogue the cache.
Notably, his observations and
sketches of the now-extinct Pig-
footed Bandicoot (Chaeropus
ecaudatus) comprise some of the
most important records of that
species. He also remarked that they
were ‘very good eating’!
After a short sojourn in Germany
following the death of his father,
Above: Gerard Krefft; one of our most renowned early zoologists.
Right: Krefft (at right) in the Long Gallery at the Australian Museum. The
first of its kind in Australia, it was crammed with cases and specimens.
Images courtesy of the Australian Museum.