Hynek Burda

Hynek Burda (born on 27. November 1952 in Chlumec nad Cidlinou ) is a German zoologist and professor of General Zoology at the University of Duisburg-Essen , focusing on exploring underground living mammals .

biography

Hynek Burda studied biology from 1971 to 1976 at the Charles University in Prague , after which he worked as a research assistant at the "Institute for Experimental Medicine " at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic . From 1984 to 1986 he was a lecturer at the University of Zambia in Lusaka . From 1988 to 1994 Burda worked at the "Center for Morphology " (Dr. Senckenbergische Anatomie) at the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University . Since 1995 he has held the chair for general zoology in Essen , and since 2000 he has also been a visiting professor at the South Bohemian University of České Budějovice .

Burda researches the sensory biology and ecology of subterranean mammals and all aspects of the systematics , evolution and way of life of the sand graves (Bathyergidae). He also deals with the magnetic sense , the hearing biology of mammals and the biogeography of small mammals of the Zambezi region. In 1999 Burda was involved in the first descriptions of Ansells Graumull ( Fukomys anselli ) and Kafue Graumulls ( Fukomys kafuensis ).

In 2014 Burda and his German- Czech working group were awarded the Ig Nobel Prize for demonstrating that dogs prefer to align themselves with the earth's magnetic field when doing their business .

Web links

• Homepage of Hynek Burda at the Department of General Zoology at the University of Duisburg-Essen
• Michelle Röttger: Graumull lover by profession: Hynek Burda. Compulsory reading, July 11, 2009