The zoologist and paleontologist Hermann von Ihering (1850 - 1930) became well-known primarily for his research in ornithology as well as for his studies on fossil snails and shells. Based on this research, he was able to draw important conclusions for paleogeography, such as the fact that the African and South American continents must have once been connected. Ihering initially studied medicine, later switching to zoology and geology. In 1876, he earned his doctorate and then became a private lecturer in zoology in Erlangen before taking a chair in Leipzig in 1878. From 1880, Ihering lived in Brazil for thirty years, where he focused on exploring the fossil mollusks of the country.