Ermi ZHAO, the academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is an international famous and outstanding expert in amphibian and reptile zoology in China. He has engaged in amphian and reptile zoology for more than fifty years. During this time he published 120 articles and 20 special writings or collections of theses. His writings have been quoted by other reseachers for more than 600 times in which 95 times by SCI and 148 times by CSCD. There are 38 new species or new subspecies which were recorded by him and two new genera were set up by him. In addition, one new recorded family of snake in China was found by him.

Academician Ermi ZHAO put forward many new viewpoints and new opinions to the frog eggs development outside the water, to the geography classification of amphibian and reptile in Tibet, to the classification of Chinese snakes and to the zoogeography of islands in East Asia ,etc. His research on the frog eggs development outside the water that has changed the former viewpoint which suggested that frog eggs can only develope in water. He was the chief editor of the “Lacertiformes Volume” and “Serpentiformes Volume ” in the “Chines Faura —Retilia”. He with American profssor Adler wrote the “Herpotology” of China” which was commended the milestone writing by many scholars such as the academician of the Russian Academy of Science Ilya Darevsky and the academician of the American Academy of Science David Wake who are the international famous amphibiologists and herpotologists.

Academician Ermi ZHAO was the student and acadmic successor of academician Chenzhao LIU, the famous amphibiologist—herpotologist. ZHAO always has the spirit to blaze new trails and is writing till now. He devotes great contribution to develope amphibiotogy and herpotology.