Maria Sibylla Merian, the first entomologist

Maria Sibylla Merian was a German entomologist from the 18th century. She published several profusely illustrated works where she described the biological cycle of some 200 species of insects and amphibians. She founded the first academy of scientific illustration exclusively for women. And she traveled to Suriname (South America), then a Dutch colony, to study fauna. She focused mainly on the study of metamorphosis, which she showed in illustrations of great scientific and artistic value. Her works changed the vision of insects at a time that were considered devil animals, and arisen by spontaneous generation.