Amalie Dietrich

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German naturalist who was best known for her pioneering work in Australia, where she spent 10 years collecting specimens for the Museum Godeffroy in Hamburg. After separating from her husband, Dietrich left her daughter and travelled to Brisbane, Australia, arriving on August 7, 1863. Amalie Dietrich was enchanted by the natural history resources of Australia and collected plants, insects, corals, shells, mammals, fish, birds and Aboriginal remains. She is thought to have been the first European person to collect the deadly snake known as the taipan for science, and her bird collection is thought to be the largest ever collected by a single person. Her collection of spiders formed the basis of the major reference work on Australian spiders. She travelled widely in Queensland. She returned to Germany in 1872. She never published anything in her name; however, her collections remain in museums in Europe to this day. She was fearless and single-minded in the cause of the natural science she so eagerly learned from her difficult and selfish husband. Completely unconcerned about personal comfort and appearance, she must have seemed unusually eccentric. Within a limited scientific circle she was highly respected as an ardent collector and accurate observer, and was honoured by the names of several plant and animal species. She died 9 March 1891, Rendsburg. Link to Wikipedia biography