János Salamon Petényi

János Salamon Petényi, Johann Salomon von Petényi or Ján Šalamún Petian (30 July 1799 – 5 October 1855) was a Hungarian priest who took an interest in zoology, travelling, collecting specimens, and contributing to ornithology, speleology, and paleontology.

He followed the family tradition to become a pastor, studying in Bratislava and Vienna while also attending the botanical lectures of Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, meeting Johann Jakob Heckel and Johann Natterer from whom he learned taxidermy and specimen preparation.

He corresponded with Christian Ludwig Brehm and Johann Friedrich Naumann and in 1826 became a pastor in Czinkota.

[4][5] Accidental absorption and toxicity from arsenic soap used as a preservative in his taxidermy work led to his early death.

[6][7] His main work on birds was completed and translated to German from his manuscripts by Titus Csörgey with a biographical preface by Otto Herman.