1774-1860

French zoologist who led a scientific mission to Central America, including the vast area between Panama and the southwest United States. As a result he co-authored the first comprehensive books on reptiles of these geographical areas. Today Dumeril's name lives on as herpetologists, people who study reptiles and amphibians, continue to name new species after him. Dumeril's ground boa (Acrantophis dumerili) and Dumeril's monitor (Varanus dumerilii), a semiaquatic lizard that can remain submerged for up to 75 minutes, are both found in Indonesia and Madagascar.