Sir David Attenborough turned 100 years old on Friday, with people across the globe sending him their well-wishes. He was also honoured with a wasp.
A beloved natural historian, conservationist, and broadcaster, Attenborough has educated millions about the wonders of the natural world across a career spanning over 70 years. Since joining the BBC in the early 1950s, Attenborough has presented a slew of well-received documentary programs such as Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Extinction: The Facts. To many, his recognisable voice is synonymous with the majestic beauty of nature.
Attenborough has regularly worked behind the camera as well, writing and producing numerous documentaries capturing the amazing world around us. He is also a conservationist, advocating for renewable energy, combating climate change, and protecting the planet's biodiversity.
His work has inspired countless people, drawing attention to the beauty and fragility of our environment, as well as the urgent need for us to protect and preserve it.
"Don't waste anything," Attenborough said in a 2020 interview. "Don't waste electricity, don't waste food, don't waste power. Just treat the natural world as though it's precious, which it is."
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As such, Attenborough's 100th birthday is cause for celebration. Various events have been organised to mark the occasion in the UK and abroad, including live BBC special David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth and a 242-foot (80-metre) sand portrait of him by arts collective Sand In Your Eye. The Australian Museum is also marking Attenborough's birthday by offering free entry to their exhibit Bloodsuckers: Nature's Vampires.
A sand portrait of Sir David Attenborough was created on Morecambe Beach in Morecambe, England. Credit: Anthony Devlin / Getty Images
Of course, when an older, widely beloved personality such as Attenborough hits the headlines without immediate context, it inevitably causes some initial alarm. Fortunately, this adrenaline spike was unwarranted.
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While Attenborough has not been active on social media since a brief stint in 2020, he released an audio message via the BBC thanking people for their well-wishes.
"I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas," Attenborough said on Thursday. "I've been completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings from pre-school groups to care home residents and countless individuals and families of all ages.
"I simply can't reply to each of you all separately, but I would like to thank you all most sincerely for your kind messages, and wish those of you who have planned your own local events tomorrow [to] have a very happy day."
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Sir David Attenborough gets a wasp for his 100th birthday
Attenborough received at least one unorthodox birthday gift this week, with London's Natural History Museum naming a new species after him. Over 50 species have previously been named after Attenborough, including a long-beaked echidna, a ghost shrimp, and a plesiosaur. Now one more has been added to the list: Attenboroughnculus tau, a species of parasitic wasp found in Chile. Though it was initially collected in 1984, the museum only recently identified the insect.
The museum announced its name on Thursday, stating that the decision was to honour Attenborough's work and inspire others to pursue natural history.
"I got this idea [that] I wanted to be a taxonomist from Attenborough from Life on Earth," principal curator of insects Dr. Gavin Broad told Australia's ABC News. "It was Attenborough who opened my eyes to the bigger world … so it's his fault I am where I am now."
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Despite the fortuitous timing, a parasitic wasp may not seem like the most complimentary creature that could be associated with Attenborough. It also isn't the first parasitic wasp to receive his name, preceded by the Smicromorpha attenboroughi from India in 2021.
Even so, it's still fairly fitting considering Attenborough's reverence and respect for all living creatures, despite reportedly hating rats. (While there are no rats named after Attenborough, he is the namesake of a carnivorous pitcher plant which ingests them.) If anyone could find beauty in a parasitic wasp, it'd probably be Attenborough.