Sir David Attenborough Turns 100: Here’s a List of 50+ Species Named after the Iconic Conservationist

On May 8, 2026, the world celebrated a remarkable milestone: Sir David Attenborough, the legendary British naturalist, broadcaster, and conservationist, turned 100. Born in 1926, in Isleworth, England, Attenborough debuted on the BBC in 1954 with a series titled Zoo Quest. From those early black-and-white broadcasts, he went on to narrate and produce some of the most beloved nature documentaries ever made - Life on Earth, The Living Planet, Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet. Knighted twice, he holds over 30 honorary degrees, and in 2011, at 84, became one of the oldest people to visit the North Pole while filming the Frozen Planet series. He continues to work, having just narrated a series about wildlife in British backyards called Secret Garden. 

Table of Contents: 

• A Century of Inspiring Science
• The Birthday Wasp: Attenboroughnculus tau
• 50+ Species Named After Sir David Attenborough
• A Legacy Written in Latin

A Century of Inspiring Science

Attenborough’s influence on the scientific community is difficult to overstate. Researchers across the globe grew up watching his documentaries and credit them as the spark that ignited their passion for biology, ecology, and taxonomy. About 50 organisms have been named for David Attenborough or elements of his legacy, from an orchid to a marine worm to one of the earliest known predators. 

The Birthday Wasp: Attenboroughnculus tau

The most recent tribute arrived just in time for the centenary. Say hello to Attenboroughnculus tau - a new species of wasp, native to the Patagonian lakes of Chile, named after Sir David Attenborough in celebration of his centenary. The specimen had been sitting in the collection of London's Natural History Museum for more than 40 years. A detailed examination revealed it was not just a previously unknown species, but a previously unidentified genus. The species name ‘tau’ refers to a striking ‘T’ shaped marking on the insect’s abdomen. In response, Attenborough sent the research team a handwritten thank-you note. 

There are also a handful of genera named after Attenborough, including Sirdavidia, a genus of trees found in Gabon, and Attenborosaurus, a genus of extinct marine reptiles from the Jurassic. Naming a genus is considered especially rare and meaningful in taxonomy, as most genera have already been described. 

50+ Species Named After Sir David Attenborough

Mammals

Zaglossus attenboroughi (Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, New Guinea) - thought to be possibly extinct until an expedition team captured the first footage with camera traps in 2023; Ctenomys attenboroughi (South American tuco-tuco rodent); Cynopterus attenboroughi (a bat species). 

Reptiles and Amphibians

Attenborosaurus conybeari (Jurassic marine reptile, genus named after him); Pristimantis attenboroughi (rain frog, Peru); Ctenotus attenboroughi (Australian skink); Platysaurus attenboroughi (flat lizard, southern Africa); Ctenochasma attenboroughi (Jurassic pterosaur).

Fish

Materpiscis attenboroughi (375-million-year-old fossil fish); Acanthemblemaria attenboroughi (Caribbean blenny); Gastromyzon attenboroughi (Bornean torrent loach).

Insects and Arachnids

Attenboroughnculus tau (Chilean parasitic wasp, 2026); Euptychia attenboroughi (a butterfly from Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil, named to honour Attenborough ‘in gratitude for opening the eyes and hearts of millions to the natural world through his inspiring and edifying work’); Protohermes attenboroughi (dobsonfly, Laos); Grouvellinus attenboroughi (riffle beetle, Borneo); Gasteracantha attenboroughi (spiny orb-weaver spider); Ophiocordyceps attenboroughii (a parasitic fungus that forces spiders out of their cave hideaways before killing them, reported in January 2025 after a BBC film crew first spotted it in 2021); Aedes attenboroughi (mosquito); Trigonopterus attenboroughi (weevil, New Guinea); Eupithecia attenboroughi (geometrid moth). 

Fungi

Ganoderma attenboroughii (bracket fungus, Kew Gardens); Gibellulopsis attenboroughii.

Plants

Sirdavidia solannona (genus of trees, Gabon); Nepenthes attenboroughii (giant carnivorous pitcher plant, Philippines); Blakea attenboroughiana (orchid, Ecuador); Floscopa attenboroughii (Australian plant); Hieracium attenboroughianum (hawkweed).

Marine Life & Microorganisms

Syracosphaera azureaplaneta - a type of oceanic phytoplankton whose species name is a latinisation of ‘The Blue Planet’, the landmark documentary about marine ecosystems that Attenborough narrated in 2001; Chondrocladia attenboroughi (carnivorous deep-sea sponge); Cascoura attenboroughi (marine worm).

Prehistoric and Fossil Species

Attenborosaurus (Jurassic plesiosaur genus); Mesacanthus attenboroughi (ancient spiny shark); Materpiscis attenboroughi (Devonian fish); Attenboroughella (fossil gastropod genus); Aegirocassis benmoulai (Cambrian predator, tribute).

Additional named species include several more velvet worms, weevils, beetles, ferns, and deep-sea invertebrates, bringing the total well past 50 - and growing.

A Legacy Written in Latin

Taxonomy is important not only as the foundation of biology, but also because a species can’t be protected against the threat of extinction if it isn’t named. By attaching Attenborough's name to so many newly discovered organisms, scientists ensure that his legacy is literally woven into the scientific record of life on Earth. At 100, Sir David has given the world not only a lifetime of storytelling, but a living taxonomic monument - one species at a time.