You know his voice, and you definitely know his nature documentaries. But did you know it’s his birthday? David Attenborough, the beloved wildlife expert and broadcaster, turned 100 on May 8. For decades, he has brought the wonders of wildlife into our living rooms, classrooms and, of course, our hearts.
His remarkable career includes iconic documentaries such as Planet Earth, The Blue Planet and Frozen Planet. Even now, he continues to work, releasing his 2025 feature documentary, Ocean with David Attenborough, last year. But beyond his instantly recognizable narration and lifelong love for wildlife, there’s still plenty to discover about his life on Earth. Here are 10 facts you may not know — one for every decade.
There is, however, one creature he simply cannot stand.
Rats. And he has never hidden his dislike for them. He once explained that the fear dates back to a stay in the Solomon Islands, where he was sleeping in a thatched hut during a storm. While lying in the dark, he felt something moving under the sheets and later realised it was a rat near his feet.
More than 40 species are named after him
Among them are Euptchia attenboroughi, a butterfly; Lepanthes attenboroughii, a miniature orchid; and, in honour of his 100th birthday, Attenboroughnculus tau, a newly discovered species of wasp.
What connects all of them? They were named after Attenborough.
“He has used his work to reveal the intimate, unseen or overlooked within nature,” researchers wrote in a paper published Thursday describing Attenboroughnculus tau.
Unsurprisingly, his name is celebrated across the scientific world. More than 40 species — including frogs, plants, insects and even a constellation — have been named in his honour.
He helped change the colour of tennis balls
Back in the 1950s, Attenborough was rejected for a role at BBC Radio. He later found success in the emerging world of television instead. By the 1960s, he was working as a controller at BBC Two and overseeing Europe’s first colour broadcasts in 1965.
In 1967, he sent colour cameras to Wimbledon Championships. At the time, tennis balls were white, making them difficult for viewers to spot against the court lines.
According to the BBC, Attenborough suggested switching to a brighter, more visible colour. The International Tennis Federation later conducted visibility tests and eventually chose the now-famous bright yellow tennis ball.
He has been knighted twice
Yes, twice. He was first knighted in 1985 by Queen Elizabeth II and again in 2022 by King Charles III, who was then Prince Charles, making him a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George.
His trophy shelf is overflowing
The Guinness World Records says Attenborough is the only person to have won BAFTA awards across four formats: black and white, colour, HD and 3D programming.
He also became the oldest person to win a Daytime Emmy at 99 for The Secret Lives of Orangutans. The record had previously been held by Dick Van Dyke, who won at 98 the year before.
He once went 100 feet underwater
Reports from the BBC and The Guardian say that in 2015, Attenborough descended 100 feet underwater in a submersible to film parts of the Great Barrier Reef. At 89, he became the oldest person to ever reach that depth.
He literally carried nature in his pocket
When he was just 11 years old, he collected newts from a nearby pond and sold them to the zoology department at University College Leicester for three pence each — roughly the equivalent of about $2 Canadian today, according to the university.
He still replies to letters
Despite receiving huge amounts of fan mail, Attenborough revealed in a 2021 BBC Radio 1 interview that he gets around 70 letters every day. He even said that if people include a self-addressed stamped envelope, he might write back.
But don’t expect a reply on Instagram or X — the 100-year-old is not active on social media.
He helped inspire the move away from single-use plastics
After Blue Planet II aired in 2017, it sparked worldwide discussions about plastic pollution. The series highlighted how plastic waste was entering oceans and harming birds and marine mammals.
“I think we are changing our habits, and the world is waking up to what we’ve done to the planet,” he said in 2019 while being announced as a recipient of the Chatham House Prize, awarded to individuals or organisations that make significant contributions to improving international relations.
And if he could be any animal for a day…
A sloth.
Attenborough has often joked that he admires their laid-back lifestyle because they spend most of their time hanging from trees and sleeping — without much else to worry about. He once even got remarkably close to one on camera.
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving diaspora communities across 44 languages. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, Unifor, NEPMCC, and the Canada Freelance Union. He holds CAVCO Personnel Number SINH0106. Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
