Boris Mikhailovich Zhitkov (; 20 September 1872 – 2 April 1943) was a Russian and Soviet explorer,

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

, hunter, biogeographer, and writer. He served as a professor at Moscow University and at the

Petrovsky Agricultural Academy Petrovsky (feminine: Petrovskaya) is a Russian-language surname. Notable people with the surname include: People *Adolf Petrovsky (1887–1937), Soviet diplomat * (born 1981), Russian singer *Boris Petrovsky (1908–2004), Soviet surgeon and pol ...

. He established a biological research station where many founding figures of Soviet zoology were trained. It is now called the B.M. Zhitkov Russian Research Institute of Game Management and Fur Farming.

Biography

Zhitkov was born in

Ardatov Ardatov () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities * Ardatov (town), Republic of Mordovia, a town in Ardatovsky District of Republic of Mordovia * Ardatov, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, a work settlement in Ardatovs ...

and came from an impoverished family of noble origins. His grandfather had taken part in the

Patriotic War of 1812 The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the continent ...

and risen to the rank of major general. His father Mikhail Ivanovich was a military engineer who had seen action at Sevastopol during the Crimean War (1853-1856). His mother Irina was the daughter of Y. P. Bartenev. Boris graduated from the Alatyr gymnasium in 1886 and the Nizhny Novgorod Noble Institute in 1890. He then went to Moscow University where he studied under A. P. Bogdanov and A. A. Tikhomirov. He travelled to the

White Sea The White Sea (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; ) is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the nort ...

in 1893 and became a friend of S. A. Buturlin with whom he travelled several times. In 1902 and 1908 he led expeditions of the

Russian Geographical Society The Russian Geographical Society (), or RGO, is a learned society based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It promotes geography, exploration and nature protection with research programs in fields including oceanography, ethnography, ecology and stati ...

to the Kanin and Yamal peninsulas. He was a keen hunter and had an interest in nature conservation from a hunting perspective. In 1909 he spoke on the need for reducing so called "harmful animals" listed in the law. In 1919 he helped establish the Astrakhan Nature Reserve was organized. From 1919 to 1921 he lived in Alatyr and helped organize the Alatyr Institute of Natural History along with Buturlin. In 1921 he became a part-time professor at The Timiryazev Academy of Moscow University. In 1922 he founded a biological station at Losino-Ostrovsky (Losino-Pogonny Island) where he employed several of his students including B. A. Kuznetsov, N. P. Lavrov,

E. P. Spangenberg Evgeni Pavlovich Spangenberg (25 February 1898 – 25 July 1968) was a Soviet ornithologist and the author of several popular natural history books. Life and work Spangenberg was born in Andrianovka (in modern Chita Oblast) and because his fath ...

, S. P. Naumov, A. N. Formozov, D. N. Danilov, P. B. Yurgenson, N. K. Vereshchagin, S. S. Folitarek, I. Yu. Zhitkova, S. F. Chirkova, V. G. Stakhrovsky, N. P. Naumov, A. P. Razorenova, S. V. Lobachev, D. M. Vyazhlinsky, L. I. Girshfeld, V. G. Geptner, S. I. Ognev, G. L. Grave, and Ya. P. Shchelkanovtsev at various points in time. Zhitkov wrote several books on nature conservation and wrote a popular science book on bird flight. He was also involved in the introduction of animals (then termed

acclimatization Acclimatization or acclimatisation ( also called acclimation or acclimatation) is the process in which an individual organism adjusts to a change in its environment (such as a change in altitude, temperature, humidity, photoperiod, or pH), ...

) for fur including the

muskrat The muskrat or common muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over various climates ...

and

nutria The nutria () or coypu () (''Myocastor coypus'') is a herbivore, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent from South America. Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, ''Myocastor'' has since been included within Echimy ...

(1928-1932). Zhitkov fell ill during the bombing of Moscow in 1943 and died at the Sklifosovsky hospital.

References

External links

;Books
Морской торговый путь в Сибирь
(1910) ("Maritime trade route to Siberia")
Полуостров Ямал
(1913) ("Yamal peninsula")
Тундра и ее богатства
(1926) ("Tundra and its riches") ;Biographical notes
Biography (Yeltsin Library)
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhitkov, Boris 1872 births 1943 deaths Zoologists from the Russian Empire 20th-century Russian explorers Writers from the Russian Empire Soviet zoologists Moscow State University alumni