Person
Dahl, Knut (1871 - 1951)
- Born
- 28 October 1871
Ullensaker, Norway - Died
- 11 June 1951
Oslo, Norway - Occupation
- Zoological collector and Zoologist
Summary
Knut Dahl was a zoologist and collector who was in Australia from 1894 to 1896, collecting specimens for the Zoological Museum of the University of Kristiana (Oslo), Norway. Between July and October 1894 he was based at the Uniya Mission Station on the Daly River, Northern Territory. During the following year he explored a number of rivers, including the Victoria, South Alligator and Katherine. In October 1895 he moved to Broome, and collected at Roebuck Bay and the Dampier Peninsula. It is probable that he was assisted in his collecting by the local indigenous people. Knut left Australia in March 1896. He collected principally birds, but also other vertebrates as well as molluscs and insects. Most of these specimens are in Museum, although some birds are held by the American Museum of Natural History. Knut also made collecting expeditions to South Africa both before and after he was in Australia. He later became an eminent authority on fish.
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Details
Chronology
- 1894
- Life event - Arrived in Australia
- July 1894 - October 1894
- Career event - Based at Uniya Mission Station on Daly River, Northern Territory
- October 1895 - March 1896
- Career event - Collecting at Broome and Roebuck Bay, Western Australia
- March 1896
- Life event - Returned to Norway
Published resources
Books
- Dahl, K., In savage Australia: an account of a hunting and collecting expedition to Arnhem Land and Dampier Land (London: Philip Allan & Co., 1926), 326 pp. Details
- Mason, Ian J. , Scrambler, Elinor C. and Johannessen, Lars E., A review of biological specimens collected in northern Australia by Knut Dahl (1871 - 1951) (Canberra: Ian J. Mason, 2025), 229 pp. Details
Book Sections
- Noske, R., 'A history of ornithology in the Top End of the Northern Territory' in Contributions to the history of Australasian ornithology, volume III, Davis, William E.; Boles, Walter E.; and Recher, Harry F., eds (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Nuttall Ornithological Club, 2017), pp. 429-551. Details
Journal Articles
- Boulanger, G. A., 'Descriptions of four new lizards from Roebuck Bay, N. W. Australia, obtained by Dr Dahl for the Kristiana Museum', Annals and magazine of natural history, series 6, 18 (105) (1896), 232-5. Details
- Collett, R., 'On a collection of mammals from north and north-west Australia', Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 65 (1897), 317-36. Details
- D. J. D. [ie Dudley J. Dickison], 'Obituary: Knut Dahl (1871 - 1951)', Emu, 51 (2) (1951), 177-8, https://doi.org/10.1071/MU951177b. Details
- Sømme, S., 'Knut Dahl 1871 - 1951', Journal du Conseil, 18 (2) (1952), 101-3. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 29 October 2026