Happy Birthday, David

Today, the 8th of May 2026, is a very special day.

Today is the day that Sir David Attenborough, world-famous and beloved producer of nature documentaries, is turning 100 years old.
I don't think I'm alone when I say that I've been watching this man's productions for all of my conscious life, and they have had a crucial and fundamental impact on how I have come to view the world and myself as a person. He has my uttermost respect, gratitude, and admiration.

As such, I felt the need to celebrate this occaision in my own small way, and thus, this piece was born, showing Sir Attenborough amidst the beings of planet Earth, whose appreciation and protection he has spent the majority of his life advocating for. My goal was to choose a selection of species which could both showcase the beauty and variety of Earth's biodiversity, and had some kind of meaningful connection to the person of David Attenborough. Inevitably, considering the sheer scale of our Planet's biosphere, this is by no means an extensive list. Some people may wonder at some of my inclusions, or miss certain species which I did not include, but all in all, I'm quite satisfied with the final product.

Happy Birthday to you, David, and may we succeed in letting your legacy live on for centuries to come.

The picture includes the following non-human species:
1. African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana)

2. Alpine ibex (Capra ibex)
3. American Bison (Bos bison)
4. Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus)

5. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)
6. Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus albicans)

7. Bar-headed goose (Anser indicus)
8. Barn owl (Tyto alba)

9. Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)

10. Black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanorphis)

11. Black lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus)

12. Blue flyingfish (Exocoetus volitans)

13. Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)

14. Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

15. Brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus)

16. California sea lion (Zalophus californianus)

17. Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
18. Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris)

19. Compass jellyfish (Chrysaora hysoscella)

20. Darwin's frog (Rhinoderma darwinii)
21. Demoiselle crane (Grus/Anthropoides virgo)

22. Duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

23. Emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator)

24. Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri)

25. European robin (Erithacus rubecula)

26. Giant oceanic manta ray (Mobula birsotris)

27. Great hornbill (Buceros bicornis)

28. Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

29. Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)

30. Grey wolf (Canis lupus)

31. Hispaniolan solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus)

32. Humuhumunukunukuāpua'a (Rhinecanthus rectangulus)

33. Indian flying fox (Pteropus medius)

34. Lar gibbon (Hylobates lar)

35. Lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor)

36. Marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)

37. Marvelous spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis)

38. Northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus)

39. Olm (Proteus anguinus)

40. Orca (Orcinus orca)

41. Panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis)

42. Peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus)

43. Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)

44. Polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

45. Priam's birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus)

46. Raggiana bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea raggiana)

47. Red deer (Cervus elaphus)

48. Reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus)

49. Scarlet macaw (Ara macao)

50. Siamese rhinoceros beetle (Xylotrupes socrates)

51. Snow leopard (Panthera uncia)

52. Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)

53. Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica)

54. Tiger (Panthera tigris)

55. Venus' flower basket (Euplectella aspergillum)

56. Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)

57. Whale shark (Rhincodon typus)