João Moojen

Born in Leopoldina, Minas Gerais, in 1904, João Moojen de Oliveira became one of Brazil’s best-known mammalogists. He worked at the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro as curator of mammals and built a reputation for careful research on the classification and diversity of Brazilian wildlife.

His studies focused especially on mammals, with notable work on rodents and primates. Over the course of his career, he took part in expeditions, described species, and contributed to the scientific understanding of Brazil’s fauna at a time when much of it was still being documented in detail.

Moojen died in 1985, but his name remains closely tied to Brazilian zoology and the development of mammalogy in the country. Readers interested in natural history will find in his story a glimpse of the scientists who helped map and interpret Brazil’s remarkable biodiversity.