Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia


Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia is a large comprehensive encyclopedia of animal life. It is named after its original editor in chief, Bernhard Grzimek.
Originally the encyclopedia was published as a 13-volume set in German under the name Grzimeks Tierleben in 1967-1972; it was translated into English in 1972-75. The encyclopedia was an international collaboration by a large number of scientists including Theodor Haltenorth, Wolfgang Gewalt, Heinz-Georg Klös, Konrad Lorenz, Heinz Heck, Lutz Heck, Jean Dorst, Constantine Walter Benson, Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt, Helmut Sick, Heini Hediger, Wolfgang Makatsch, Erich Thenius, Erna Mohr, Adolf Portmann, Nagamichi Kuroda, Lester L. Short, Gerlof Fokko Mees, and Andrew John Berger. It was later extensively updated and republished in a 17-volume second edition under the supervision of Michael Hutchins in 2003. Some university libraries offer access to a digitized version of the second edition. The German edition also published three supplementary volumes: Entwicklungsgeschichte der Lebewesen, Verhaltensforschung and Unsere Umwelt als Lebensraum - Ökologie.

Online portal

In fall 2009, Gale Cengage released a web-based version of the encyclopedia, with access to the web site by subscription. The site allows users to rate articles and to submit videos and photography.

Volumes for original 1967-1972 Edition