Ten Organisms Named After David Attenborough for His 100th Birthday
To celebrate David Attenborough's 100th birthday on May 8, Smithsonian magazine highlights ten of about 50 organisms named after the broadcaster and naturalist. The list includes a parasitic fungus (Gibellula attenboroughii) that zombifies cave spiders, discovered in January 2025 by João Araújo and Harry Evans; a fossil bird (Imparavis attenboroughi) from 120 million years ago, described in 2024 by Alex Clark; a marine worm (Marphysa davidattenboroughi) from southeast Australia, named in 2023 by Nicolas Lavesque; a miniature orchid (Lepanthes attenboroughii) from the Andes, described in 2022 by Luis Baquero; a fossil cnidarian (Auroralumina attenboroughii) from 560 million years ago, reported in 2022 by Frankie Dunn; a phytoplankton (Syracosphaera azureaplaneta) named in 2018 by Jeremy Young; a fossil crustacean (Cascolus ravitis) from 430 million years ago, named in 2017 by David Siveter; a butterfly (Euptychia attenboroughi) from the Amazon, described in 2015 by Andrew Neild; an echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi) rediscovered in 2023 after being thought possibly extinct; and a plesiosaur (Attenborosaurus conybeari) named in 1993 by Robert Bakker. Attenborough's documentaries inspired many of the scientists who named these species.
Key facts
- David Attenborough turns 100 on May 8.
- About 50 organisms have been named after Attenborough.
- Gibellula attenboroughii is a parasitic fungus that zombifies cave spiders, discovered in January 2025.
- Imparavis attenboroughi is a toothless fossil bird from 120 million years ago, described in 2024.
- Marphysa davidattenboroughi is an iridescent marine worm from southeast Australia, named in 2023.
- Lepanthes attenboroughii is a miniature orchid from the Andes, described in 2022.
- Auroralumina attenboroughii is a 560-million-year-old fossil cnidarian, reported in 2022.
- Syracosphaera azureaplaneta is a phytoplankton named in 2018 after the BBC series 'Blue Planet'.
- Cascolus ravitis is a 430-million-year-old fossil crustacean named in 2017.
- Euptychia attenboroughi is a butterfly from the Amazon, described in 2015.
- Zaglossus attenboroughi is a long-beaked echidna rediscovered in 2023.
- Attenborosaurus conybeari is a plesiosaur named in 1993.
- Attenborough was knighted in 1985 and received the Knight Grand Cross in 2022.
Entities
Artists
- David Attenborough
- João Araújo
- Harry Evans
- Alex Clark
- Nicolas Lavesque
- Luis Baquero
- Frankie Dunn
- Jeremy Young
- David Siveter
- Andrew Neild
- Tim Flannery
- Colin Groves
- Robert Bakker
Institutions
- Smithsonian
- BBC
- Natural History Museum of Denmark
- Center for Agriculture and Biosciences International
- University of Chicago
- Field Museum
- French National Center for Scientific Research
- University of the Americas in Ecuador
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History
- University College London
- University of Leicester
- Florida Museum of Natural History
- Australian Museum
- Natural History Museum in London
- Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
- International Union for Conservation of Nature
Locations
- United Kingdom
- Northern Ireland
- Republic of Ireland
- China
- Australia
- Ecuador
- Colombia
- Peru
- England
- Charnwood Forest
- Herefordshire
- Amazon basin
- Venezuela
- Brazil
- New Guinea
- Cyclops Mountains
- London