Bernardo Villa Ramírez

Born in Teloloapan, Guerrero, on May 4, 1911, Bernardo Villa Ramírez grew up close to the natural world and later became one of the most important figures in Mexican mammalogy. He studied biology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and built a career that joined research, teaching, and scientific outreach.

Villa Ramírez published five books and more than 100 articles. His research focused mainly on bats and rodents, though he also worked on marine mammals, and he became widely known in Mexico for his expertise on bats. Sources from UNAM and SciELO describe him as a foundational figure in the field, helping train later generations of zoologists and mammalogists.

He died on November 21, 2006. Even in short biographical sketches, his legacy comes through clearly: he was not only a productive scientist, but also a teacher and mentor whose work helped establish mammalogy as a stronger discipline in Mexico.