Peoples behind the names of animals

People behind the common names of animals: Part 1

Because we humans like to organise things in ways that make sense to us, all living things are named according to a strict procedure. Without such a system, the classification of animals and plants would be in a chaotic state.

About 250 years ago (1753 to be precise) a Swedish naturalist by the name of Carl Linnaeus developed a scientific system of biological nomenclature, where each organism is given two names. The first of these names is for the genus (the generic name) and the second for the species (specific name). To be validated, a new species has to be described in a recognised journal, where its relationship to other species is made clear. It is common practice to name a newly described species after a morphological trait (e.g. short tail or red legs), its geographical origin (e.g. Natal or Egypt) or to honour a person (e.g. Wahlberg or Kittlitz). In a few instances, the names may be meaningless or even related to mythology.

In addition to its scientific name, all mammals and birds also have a common (vernacular) name in one or several languages. These names very often refer to the scientific name, so that Aquila wahlbergi is called Wahlberg's Eagle, and so on.

It is these common names that most people refer to. Although descriptive common names such as ‘White-bellied' are arguably most useful (because they highlight diagnostic features), those which refer to some locality or person are often more interesting. In this short series of articles we take a look at the often colourful, brave and tenacious explorers, naturalists or adventurers after whom many African birds and animals are named.

Ayres' Hawk-Eagle and Cisticola

Thomas Ayres (1828-1913) was born in England. He came to Natal with his parents in 1850 where he commenced collecting birds. In 1865 he moved to Potchefstroom, South Africa, where he and his brother Jack hunted and traded with the Boer settlers. As an active member of the Anglican Church, Ayres was acquainted with Archdeacon Roberts, and did much to encourage his son, Austin Roberts in his early interest in natural history and particularly ornithology. Among the other animals named in his honour are the White-winged Flufftail (Sarothura ayresi).

Burchell' s Coucal, Courser, Sandgrouse, Starling and Zebra

William John Burchell (1781-1863) came to the Cape in 1810 and made several excursions in the vicinity of Cape Town, mainly botanising. He undertook a major journey into the interior, during which he travelled more than 7 000 km through largely unexplored country, reaching as far north as Kuruman. He returned to London in 1815 and published his travels in the Interior of Southern Africa in two volumes. Burchell was first and foremost a botanist; he was a meticulous collector and his specimens all had accurate dates, localities and field notes of an ecological nature. In addition, he was an accomplished artist and made many drawings of landscapes, people and biological material encountered on his travels. Burchell was the first to describe the White Rhinoceros from the Kuruman area in the Northern Cape in 1817.

Fischer's Lovebird, Sparrow-Lark and Turaco

Gustav Adolf Fischer (1848-1886) was a medical doctor who travelled and collected extensively in East Africa under the auspices of the Geographical Society of Hamburg. His field notes are excellent and contain much information on the breeding and behaviour of the birds he collected. He discovered Lake Naivasha in 1883, explored the Tana and Masai regions, and was the first to demonstrate the continuance of the Rift Valley through equatorial Africa. He also has the Straw-tailed Whydah (Vidua fischeri) named in his honour.

Grant's Gazelle

James Augustus Grant (1827-1892) was a Scotsman who spent considerable time in Africa (with Speke) searching for the source of the Nile. Primarily a botanist, he discovered the new species in what is now Tanzania.

Levaillant's (Striped) Cuckoo and Cisticola

Francois Le Vaillant (1753-1824) was born in Dutch Guiana where his father was French Consul. He came to the Cape in 1781, financed by Jakob Temminck. Although others before him had collected birds, Le Vaillant was the first real ornithologist to visit the Cape. He travelled inland as far as the eastern frontier at the Great Fish River and at least as far north as the Orange River and possibly as far as the present town of Keetmanshoop. His book Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux D'Afrique in six volumes, published between 1790 and 1808 is a classic of South African ornithology. In his accounts of his travels however, Le Vaillant used his imagination to embellish his experiences and was not always accurate in describing what he had collected. He even went as far as to make ‘new' birds from parts and feathers of others. His collection of about 2000 bird skins went to his mentor Jakob Temminck, and was later incorporated into the museum at Leiden (Holland). Le Vaillant was totally opposed to the scientific nomenclature introduced by Linnaeus, and gave all the birds he discovered descriptive French names such as ‘Bateleur' which, of course, remains in use today. Other animals named after Le Vaillant are the Red-winged Francolin (Scleroptila levaillantii) and Crested Barbet (Trachyphonus vaillantii).

- Duncan Butchart and Ingrid Meyer -

Posted: Other by CC Africa, Date: 21 November 2006