The pseudonym "Harald Stümpke" was a play on naturalist names. The book was so convincing that some readers initially believed the Rhinogrades were real. Steiner maintained the hoax for years, even giving lectures "about" the animals.
"The Snouters: Form and Life of the Rhinogrades" by Harald Stümpke (Gerolf Steiner) is a famous scientific parody available for download through online repositories like the Internet Archive . The 1957 book details a fictional order of mammals, Rhinogradentia , and is highly regarded in zoology for its expert parody of taxonomic vernacular. the snouters form and life of the rhinogrades pdf download 4