Johann August Ephraim Goeze (; 28 May 1731 â 27 June 1793) was a German pastor and zoologist, born in Aschersleben. He translated numerous works on zoology into German and conducted microscopic observations on organisms. He is best known for the discovery of tardigrades in 1773, which he called "water bears".
Goeze was the son of Johann Heinrich and Catherine Margarete (née Kirchhoff). He studied theology and philosophy at the University of Halle. He married Leopoldine Maria Keller in 1770, with whom he had four children. In 1751, he became a pastor in Aschersleben, in Quedlinburg, and later of in Quedlinburg in 1762, finally becoming first deacon of the seminary of Quedlinburg in 1787. He died in Quedlinburg.
Around 1772, GoezeâÂÂs intellectual interests turned from the history of the Reformation to zoology. While visiting the optician Samuel Gottlieb Hoffmann in Leipzig, Goeze saw a microscope for the first time. Immediately fascinated, he purchased itâÂÂselling his personal library to do so. He then began to explore the microscopic world, focusing on aquatic invertebrates, particularly insects and worms. In 1784, Goeze perceived the similarities between the heads of tapeworms found in the human intestinal tract and the invaginated heads of Cysticercus cellulosae in pigs. In 1773, he was the first to describe tardigrades, naming them Kleiner Wasserbär, meaning 'little water-bear'. He described it under the title "Von einigen merkwürdigen Wasserinsekten" ("On Some Remarkable Water Insects") in an appendix to a translation of Charles BonnetâÂÂs Traité dâÂÂInsectologie that he published. He illustrated it and it has been considered to represent the genus Hypsibius. In 1776, he published a translation of Philippe Fermin's work that included notes on the biology of the Surinam toad. In 1778, he identified the so-called Quedlinburg "unicornâ skeleton as being that of a rhinoceros and considered whether the regionâÂÂs climate might have changed over time. He also took a special interest in helminths and collected tapeworm specimens. This collection was purchased for 1000 thaler by Emperor Joseph II for the University of Pavia.