Historical Bios | Primate Eponyms

The Moors (Mauri)

Namesake of: Moor Macaque (Macaca maura) - A Latin (Roman) name for the people of what is now Morocco - 'Mauri' transitioned to 'Moor'...

Adelmar F. Coimbra-Filho (1924-2016)

Namesake of: Coimbra-Filho’s Titi (Callicebus coimbrai) - Brazilian biologist and primatologist - Founded and directed the Rio de Janeiro...

Andrew Sabin (b. 1945)

Namesake of: Montagne d’Ambre Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus andysabini) - American businessman and philanthropist - Head of the Sabin Metal...

Ulysses S. Seal III (1929-2003)

Namesake of: Seal’s sportive lemur (Lepilemur seali) - American scientist and conservationist. - Chair of the Conservation Planning...

Maria Elizabeth Emilie Snethlage (1868-1929)

Namesake of: Snethlage’s marmoset (Mico emiliae) - German-born naturalist and ornithologist - Emigrated to Brazil in 1905 when offered a...

Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (1858-1929)

Namesake of: Thomas’ langur (Presbytis thomasi) - British naturalist and taxonomist who worked at the British Museum of Natural History -...

King Midas

Namesake of: Midas tamarin (Sanguinus midas) - King in Greek mythology whose touch turned things to gold - The tamarin is named for King...

Jon Stryker (b. 1958)

Namesake of: Myanmar snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri) - Philanthropist, president and founder of the Arcus Foundation, which...

Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon (1865-1958)

Namesake of: Rondon’s marmoset (Mico rondoni) - Brazilian military officer, explorer, engineer, and advocate of indigenous peoples -...

Gabrielle Maud Vassal (1880-1959)

Namesake of: Southern yellow-cheeked crested gibbon (Nomascus gabriellae) - English naturalist and writer - Traveled with her husband...

Georges Randrianasolo (1930-1989)

Namesake of: Bemaraha sportive lemur (Lepilemur randrianasoloi) - Malagasy ornithologist - Co-authored the book Faune de Madagascar XXXV...

Charles Coquerel (1822-1867)

Namesake of: Coquerel’s sifaka (Propithecus coquereli), Coquerel’s mouse lemur (Mirza coquereli) - French entomologist who made several...

Ka'apor

Namesake of: Ka'apor Capuchin (Cebus kaapori) - Indigenous Amazonian tribe from northern Maranhão. - Were the research subjects of...

William Louis Abbott (1860-1936)

Namesake of: Abbott's Gibbon (Hylobates abbotti) - American naturalist, doctor, explorer, ornithologist - Used private wealth for...

Dian Fossey (1932-1985)

Namesake of: Dian's Tarsier (Tarsius dentatus) - Pioneered long-term research on mountain gorillas and became an inter-generational...

Jules Verreaux (1807-1873)

Namesake of: Verreaux's Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) - Stole and taxidermied the body parts of a recently buried South African man from...