Eberhard Fraas (26 June 1862 – 6 March 1915) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

scientist,

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

and

paleontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...

. He worked as a

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

at the

Stuttgarter Naturaliensammlung Stuttgart (; ; Swabian: ; Alemannic: ; Italian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and ...

and discovered the

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...

s of the

Tendaguru The Tendaguru Formation, or Tendaguru Beds are a highly fossiliferous formation and Lagerstätte located in the Lindi Region of southeastern Tanzania. The formation represents the oldest sedimentary unit of the Mandawa Basin, overlying Neoprote ...

formation in then

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; ) was a German colonial empire, German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Portugu ...

(now

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

). The dinosaur ''

Efraasia ''Efraasia'' (pronounced "E-FRAHS-ee-A") is a genus of basal (phylogenetics), basal sauropodomorph dinosaur. It was a herbivore which lived during the middle Norian stage of the Late Triassic, around 210 million years ago, in what is now Germ ...

'' is named after him.

Life

Eberhard Fraas was born in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg ( ) was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Electorate of Württemberg, which existed from 1803 to 1806. Geogr ...

, the son of

Oscar Fraas Oscar Friedrich von Fraas (17 January 1824 in Lorch (Württemberg) – 22 November 1897 in Stuttgart) was a German clergyman, paleontologist and geologist. He was the father of geologist Eberhard Fraas (1862–1915). Biography He studied theol ...

(1824–1897), a curator and professor at the geological and paleontological department of the

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

Royal Natural Cabinet. After attending the Gymnasium, he studied at

Leipzig University Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

with Hermann Credner and Ferdinand Zirkel, and later in Munich under

Karl Alfred von Zittel Karl Alfred Ritter von Zittel (25 September 1839 – 5 January 1904) was a German palaeontologist best known for his ''Handbuch der Palaeontologie'' (1876–1880). Biography Karl Alfred von Zittel was born in Bahlingen in the Grand Duchy ...

, August Rothpletz (1853−1918) and Paul Groth. Here, he received his Ph.D. in 1886 with a dissertation about

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...

starfish Starfish or sea stars are Star polygon, star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class (biology), class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to brittle star, ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to ...

. His geological work enabled him to publish the first coherent account about the history of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. In July 1888, he received his

Habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...

(second Ph.D.) from

Munich University The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

, and in 1891 became an assistant at the

State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart The State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart (), abbreviated SMNS, is one of the two state of Baden-Württemberg's natural history museums. Together with the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe (Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karls ...

. In 1894, he became curator of its geological, paleontological and mineralogical departments. In that capacity, he was responsible for a multitude of geological maps of his native

Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...

. Many of these were published in co-operation with Wilhelm Branco (who would later change his name to

Wilhelm von Branca Carl Wilhelm Franz von Branca Until 1895: Wilhelm Branco; 1895-1907: Wilhelm von Branco (9 September 1844 – 12 March 1928) was a German geologist and paleontologist. Biography Von Branca was born in Potsdam. After having been an officer, ...

). Fraas was also curator of

Friedrich Alfred Krupp Friedrich Alfred Krupp (; 17February 185422November 1902) was a German steel manufacturer and head of the company Krupp. He was the son of Alfred Krupp and inherited the family business when his father died in 1887. Whereas his father had largely ...

's mineral collections, and taught him from 1898 to his death in 1902. Trips to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

, the west of North America (1901),

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

(1897 and 1906) and finally to

(1907) broadened his view and filled the museum with new acquisitions. His discovery of

s in East Africa would spawn many expeditions to the

, first by the Berlin

Museum für Naturkunde The Natural History Museum () is a natural history museum located in Berlin, Germany. It exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history and in such domain it is one of three major museums in Germany alongside Naturm ...

, and by British institutions once the Germans had lost control of the colony after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Fraas died unexpectedly on March 6, 1915, in Stuttgart, from

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

which he had caught while in East Africa.

Legacy

Fraas is commemorated in the scientific name of a species of West Asian lizard, '' Parvilacerta fraasii''.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Fraas", p. 93).

Works

* ''Die Asterien des Weissen Jura von Schwaben und Franken : Mit Untersuchungen über die Structur der Echinodermen und das Kalkgerüst der Asterien.'' Palaeontographica 32: 229 – 261, Stuttgart : E. Schweizerbart (Koch), 1886 * ''Die Labyrinthodonten der schwäbischen Trias.'' Palaeontographica 36: 1-158, Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart (Koch), 1889 * ''Scenerie der Alpen.'' 325 S., Leipzig: Weigel, 1892 * ''Die Triaszeit in Schwaben; Ein Blick in die Urgeschichte an der Hand von R. Blezingers geologischer Pyramide.'' 40 S., Ravensburg: O. Maier, 1900 * ''Die Meer-Crocodilier (Thalattosuchia) des oberen Jura unter specieller Berücksichtigung von Dacosaurus und Geosaurus.'' Palaeontographica 49 (1): 1-71, Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart, 1902 * ''Führer durch das Königliche Naturalien-Kabinett zu Stuttgart Teil 1: Die geognostische Sammlung Württembergs im Parterre-Saal, zugleich ein Leitfaden für die geologischen Verhältnisse und die vorweltlichen Bewohner unseres Landes.'' 82 S., Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart, 1903 * ''Neue Zeuglodonten aus dem unteren Mitteleocän vom Mokattam bei Cairo.'' Geologische und Palaeontologische Abhandlungen, N.F. 6 (3): 1-24, Jena: Fischer, 1904 * ''Der Petrefaktensammler: ein Leitfaden zum Sammeln und Bestimmen der Versteinerungen Deutschlands.'' 249, 72 S., Stuttgart: K. G. Lutz, 1910 * Branca, W., Fraas, E.: ''Das vulcanische Ries bei Nördlingen in seiner Bedeutung für Fragen der allgemeinen Geologie.'' Abhandlungen der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin: 1-169 S., 1901 * Branca, W., Fraas, E.: ''Das kryptovulcanische Becken von Steinheim.'' Abhandlungen der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin: 1-64, 1905 * ''Proteroehersis, eine pleurodire Schildkröte aus dem Keuper.'' Jahreshefte des Vereins für Vaterländische Naturkunde in Württemberg, 69, S. 13-90
Online verfügbar. Universität Frankfurt.

Literature

* * Stromer, Ernst Freiherr von Reichenbach: Eberhard Fraas. In: ''Centralblatt für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie'' 15 (1915) 12, S. 353-359 (in German) * Walther, J.: Eberhard Fraas. ''Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte''. 87: 334-336, Leipzig : Vogel, 1922 (in German)

External links

Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart
(in German)

by Eberhard Fraas (1862–1915) from Scientific American 1893 United States

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraas, Eberhard 1862 births 1915 deaths Sportspeople from Stuttgart German paleontologists People from the Kingdom of Württemberg Leipzig University alumni Academic staff of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Deaths from dysentery