David Attenborough at 100 – written into the wild

As broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough turns 100, his legacy is not just on screen – it is written into the natural world itself, with dozens of species across land and sea bearing his name

Euptychia attenboroughi
Rare butterfly from tropical forests of South America; reflects David’s lifelong passion for butterflies

Cascolus Ravitis
Crustacean fossil from UK; name combines Latin for Attenborough (Cascolus) and Roman name for Leicester (Ravitis), where David grew up

Zaglossus attenboroughi
Critically endangered egg-laying mammal – known as Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna – from remote mountains of New Guinea

Nepenthes attenboroughii
Giant carnivorous pitcher plant from summit of Mount Victoria, Philippines

Attenborosaurus conybeari: Extinct marine reptile from tropical seas of what is now southern England

Sirdavidia
Flowering plant discovered in Monts de Cristal National Park, Gabon

Materpiscis attenboroughi
Armoured prehistoric fish from Western Australia; oldest known vertebrate to give birth to live young

Sitana attenboroughii
Fan-throated lizard from coastal Kerala, India

Trigonopterus attenboroughi
Flightless weevil from Indonesia

RRS Sir David Attenborough: UK polar research ship named in his honour, extending legacy beyond natural world
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Note: Image of short-beaked echidna

Source: BBC
Pictures: Getty Images, Newscom, Creative Commons, David J. Siveter et al.
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