Miroslav Zei (25 July 1914 – 2 November 2006) was a Slovene

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

, specialist in marine biology, oceanography and ichthyology. Zei was born in Nabrežina near

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...

in 1914. He studied Biology at the

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students. History Beginnings Although certain ...

from 1932 to 1936. He specialized at the Oceanographic Institute in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

from 1937 to 1941 where he was also an assistant until 1941 and then senior scientific researcher until 1948 when he was appointed professor at the

. He lectured until 1962 and then joined a

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FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

oceanographic project and worked in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

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and the Western African coast from

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

until 1975. He was then head of the Marine Biology Station in

Piran Piran (; it, Pirano ) is a town in southwestern Slovenia on the Gulf of Piran on the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the three major towns of Slovenian Istria. The town is known for its medieval architecture, with narrow streets and compact houses. P ...

run by the National Institute of Biology of the University of Ljubljana. He died in

Drniš Drniš is a town in Croatia, located in inland Dalmatia, about halfway between Šibenik and Knin. History The name Drniš was mentioned for the first time in a contract dated March 8, 1494. However, there are traces of older Middle Ages' fortr ...

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in 2006. He wrote numerous scientific texts but also a number of popular science books. He won the

Levstik Award The Levstik Award ( sl, Levstikova nagrada) is a literary award in Slovenia awarded for achievements in children's literature. It has been bestowed since 1949 by the Mladinska Knjiga Publishing House, making it the first literary award established ...

twice, in 1952 for his book ''Iz ribjega sveta'' (The World of Fish) and in 1957 for ''Iz življenja sesalcev'' (The Lives of Mammals). The Miroslav Zei Award for outstanding scientific achievements in Biology bestowed by the Slovenian National Institute of Biology since 2010 are named after him.National Institute of Biology site: News 26 November 2010 ''The 50th Anniversary of the National Institute of Biology''
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Selected published works

* ''Življenje Jadrana'' (Life in the Adriatic), 1947 * ''Iz ribjega sveta'' (The World of Fish), 1951 * ''Jadranske girice'' (Picarels of the Adriatic), 1951 * ''Morja bogati zakladi'' (Rich Treasures of the Sea), 1956 * ''Pelagic Polychaetes of the Adriatic'', 1956 * ''Morski svet'' (Marine World), 1956 * ''Iz življenja sesalcev'' (The Lives of Mammals), 1957 * ''Dvoživke in plazilci'' (Amphibians and Reptiles), 1958 * ''Zoologija'' (Zoology), secondary school textbook, 1959 * ''Človek in ocean'' (Man and the Ocean), 1961 * ''Vretenčarji'' (Vertebrates), 1961 * ''Skrivnostna bitja globokega morja'' (Mysterious Creatures of the Deep Sea), 1962 * ''Morski ribji trg'' (The Sea Fish Market), 1982 * ''Jadranske ribe'' (Fish of the Adriatic), 1984 * ''Obrazi morja'' (Faces of the Sea), 1987 * ''Življenje živali v morju'' (The Life of Sea Animals), 1988 * ''Prvi koraki v morje'' (First Steps Into the Sea), 1998 * ''Povest o hrbtenici'' (The Story of the Spinal Cord), with Kazimir Tarman, 1999

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zei, Miroslav 1914 births 2006 deaths Slovenian biologists Ichthyologists Levstik Award laureates University of Ljubljana alumni University of Ljubljana faculty Yugoslav zoologists