He’s taken us to the depths of the ocean, as far as the African plains and into the heart of the Amazon rainforest. He’s graced our TV screens since 1954, he’s charmed birds out of trees and his unmistakable voice is known, fondly, the world over. That’s right, we’re bigging up the living legend that is... Sir David Attenborough!
In celebration of Sir David’s birthday on the 8th of May (which will mark his 95th year on Planet Earth!), here are a few lesser-known facts to honour the Life of the godfather of natural history.
There are at least 18 plants and animals named after him
You know you’re practically a deity in the naturalist world when over a dozen species of flora and fauna are named after you. Among these critters are a flightless weevil, an extinct pygmy locust, a teeny tiny Goblin Spider and a wildflower called Hieracium attenboroughianum – the only living British species on the list. As of 2017, there are at least 18 species of plants and animals (both extinct and alive) named after the man himself. Not a bad thing to have on your CV, eh?
He gifted the world televised snooker
Sir David Attenborough’s accolades aren’t limited to the natural world. Believe it or not, he was also responsible for introducing snooker coverage to the telly in the mid-1960s. As the Controller of BBC Two, he made it his mission to bring colour to the UK’s TV sets before any other country in Europe. And, after first televising Wimbledon in colour, he pioneered the broadcast of snooker to showcase the advantages of colour television (plus, it meant you no longer had to spectate from a smokey pub. Bonus!).
He’s the only winner of a BAFTA in black and white, colour,
HD & 3D television
Given his mighty contribution to broadcasting - which spans a whopping eight decades, by the way - is it any wonder that Sir David is the only person to bag BAFTAs in black and white, colour, HD and 3D television? Some of his most-loved programmes include the likes of Frozen Planet, Life in Cold Blood, Blue Planet 1 & 2 (our favourite series, obviously!), Planet Earth and Life (just to name a few). Whatever the format, Attenborough’s the man for the job!
He doesn’t mind sharing the spotlight
It’s not just humans that go wild for Sir David! One of our favourite Attenborough moments (and yes, there are a lot!) was captured during the filming of Attenborough's Paradise Birds when a rowdy bird of paradise did its best to upstage the presenter with its squawks and flamboyant dance moves. Luckily the naturalist veteran is pretty used to dealing with these heckling avians. In fact, Sir David Attenborough was the first to film these birds at length and has spent a lifetime tracking them all over the jungles of Indonesia! Fair play.
He has 32 university degrees
Get this: Sir David holds an incredible 32 honorary degrees from universities all over the UK! That’s more than anyone else; beating Nobel Prize winners, Olympians and world leaders. His degrees were awarded to him by universities - including the likes of Oxford, Durham, Cambridge and, most recently, Queens - to acknowledge his mammoth contribution to science and education. No exams or coursework required!
He came face-to-face with a mountain gorilla
These are the ad-libbed words whispered by Sir David after meeting the gaze of a gorilla during the filming of Life on Earth in Rwanda in 1979. It’s one of the most iconic scenes ever captured in natural history documentary-making and we could watch it over and over (and over) again.
“There is more meaning and mutual understanding in exchanging
a glance with a gorilla than any other animal I know."
He’s been to the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef
(on a record-breaking dive)
Six decades on from his very first scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef, Sir David returned for a trip down memory lane on a record-breaking journey to the depths of the world’s biggest living structure. Submerged in a state-of-the-art submarine, he set out to shine a light (er, quite literally!) on the incredible diversity lying 1000ft below the surface! But with recent studies finding that rising ocean temperatures (driven by the climate crisis) have led to the Great Barrier Reef losing more than half of its corals since 1995, Attenborough’s visit came with an important message:
“The Great Barrier Reef is in grave danger. The twin perils brought by climate change –
an increase in the temperature of the ocean and in its acidity – threaten its very existence.”
If he could be any animal, he’d be a sloth
It’s the million-dollar question to ask any natural history nerd. And in a live Q&A with the BBC, Sir David revealed the answer we’ve all been waiting for: the animal he’d most like to be is... a sloth! Hardly surprising though, right? After all his globetrotting he could probably do with a little rest! And who could forget that boo-tiful encounter he had with his spirit animal in the wild?
He’s not an ‘animal lover’
Are you sitting down? Because this one’s a shocker. Word on the street is Attenborough isn’t an animal lover at all. But before you snatch away his (many, many) honorary degrees and BAFTA awards, let us fill you in. Sir David was quoted saying the term “animal lover” means "sentiment, a cloying, anthropomorphising sentiment. I don’t love earthworms or spiders. They’re rivetingly interesting, and they give me huge intellectual pleasure. And aesthetic pleasure, I suppose. But that’s a different thing altogether...The phrase ‘animal lover’ – well, it just grates on me!" Well, we’re glad he cleared that up.
He’s still inspiring the world to protect our oceans
Whether he’s teaming up with environmental champions (big shout-out to Greta Thunberg!) or rallying the movement against plastic pollution with his Blue Planet series, Sir David Attenborough continues to inspire the world to fight for the ocean conservation. And we are forever grateful.
“We all need a healthy ocean, so we must change our ways. Together with the right management, we can repopulate the seas. We can reduce marine pollution and minimize the impact of ocean acidification. The oceans' power of regeneration is remarkable if we just offer it the chance. It's not too late."
Do you have a favourite Attenborough fact? Or has Sir David inspired you to protect our oceans? We’d love to hear from you!
Written by Hannah Hesford