author
João Moojen
A pioneering Brazilian zoologist, he helped shape the study of the country’s mammals through fieldwork, teaching, and a classic book on rodents. His name also lives on in the Museu de Zoologia João Moojen at the Federal University of Viçosa.
1 Audiobook
Speciation in the Brazilian Spiny Rats
by João Moojen
About the author
Born in Leopoldina, Minas Gerais, on December 1, 1904, João Moojen de Oliveira became one of Brazil’s leading zoologists. He trained in pharmacy at what is now the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, but his career turned toward zoology, natural history, and the study of Brazilian wildlife.
He taught in Minas Gerais and later worked at the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, building a reputation for research on Brazilian mammals, especially rodents and primates. He also took part in many field expeditions and published technical and scientific studies, including descriptions of new genera and species.
Moojen is especially remembered for Os Roedores do Brasil (1952), an important reference on Brazilian rodents. His influence remained strong enough that the zoology museum at the Federal University of Viçosa was named in his honor, reflecting his lasting role in Brazilian science.