© Shutterstock/Getty Images 

Wilson's snipe -

A year-round resident on the US Pacific Coast, Wilson's snipe is a small, stocky shorebird whose habitats include marshes, bogs, tundra, and wetland meadows.

© Shutterstock 

Alexander Wilson (1766–1813) -

Wilson's snipe is named after Alexander Wilson, a Scottish-American naturalist who's regarded as the "Father of American Ornithology" and the most influential ornithologist prior to John James Audubon (1785–1851). Other birds named in his honor are: Wilson's storm-petrel, Wilson's plover, Wilson's phalarope, and Wilson's warbler.

© Getty Images 

Pallas's cat -

This small wild cat enjoys an extensive range, from the Caucasus eastward to Central Asia and Mongolia. Naturally secretive and perfectly adapted to the harsh conditions typical of its habitat, this feline is rarely seen, and is still being studied by naturalists.

© Shutterstock 

Peter Simon Pallas (1741–1811) -

Prussian zoologist and botanist Peter Simon Pallas was a favorite of Catherine II and taught natural history to the Grand Dukes Alexander and Constantine. Pallas was widely read and widely traveled, and besides the cat his surname is included in the common names of numerous species including Pallas's squirrel, Pallas's leaf warbler, Pallas's cormorant, and Pallas's fish-eagle.

© Getty Images 

Cassin's finch -

A native of the western and southwestern United States, Cassin's finch is noted for the smudge of raspberry red smeared across its head. At home in mountainside coniferous forests, these birds often feed in small flocks.

© Shutterstock 

John Cassin (1813–1869) -

Cassin's finch commemorates the life and work of American ornithologist John Cassin. In a long and distinguished career, Cassin served as curator of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, and was a member of the Zoological Society, the American Philosophical Society, and the Pennsylvania Historical Society. The finch is one of five North American birds named in his honor, the other four being Cassin's auklet, Cassin's kingbird, Cassin's vireo, and Cassin's sparrow.

© Public Domain

Przewalski's horse -

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists Przewalski's horse as Endangered. In fact, this rare horse breed was once extinct in the wild. While numbers have increased since its reintroduction to its native habitat in the 1990s in Mongolia at the Khustain Nuruu National Park, Przewalski's horse still lives a precarious existence.

© Shutterstock 

Nikolay Przhevalsky (1839–1888) -

A renowned explorer of Central and East Asia, Russian imperial geographer Nikolay Przhevalsky was responsible for introducing several previously unknown species to European science, including Przewalski's horse and the equally endangered Przewalski's gazelle.

© Getty Images 

Barrow's goldeneye -

Distributed across northwestern North America, this bird is also found in eastern Canada and in Iceland. Barrow's goldeneye is considered an arboreal bird species because much of its nesting is done in cavities found in mature trees.

© Shutterstock 

Sir John Barrow (1764–1848) -

Barrow's goldeneye is named after English geographer and civil servant Sir John Barrow. A career in the Admiralty saw him promote exploration to the Arctic, and he was an active member of the Raleigh Club, a forerunner of the Royal Geographical Society.

© Getty Images 

Cope's gray treefrog -

Found in the southeastern United States especially in Virginia and the Carolinas, but also as far north as Minnesota, Cope's gray treefrog blends in well with its chosen habitat, that of wetlands close to trees.

© Shutterstock 

Edward Drinker Cope (1840–1897) -

In fewer than 40 years as a scientist, Cope published over 1,400 scientific papers, a record that is rivaled by few other scientists. While especially known today for his work as a paleontologist, Cope's surname is given to several species of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, including Cope's gray treefrog.

© Getty Images 

Lady Amherst's pheasant -

Native to southwestern China and far northern Myanmar, Lady Amherst's pheasant is noted for its unmistakable plumage, a lustrous pattern of red, blue, green, and white.

© Shutterstock 

Sarah Amherst (1762–1838) -

British naturalist and botanist Sarah Amherst is the person for whom Lady Amherst's pheasant is named, and who was responsible for sending the first specimen of the bird to London in 1828. Amherst lived and worked in India, where she identified several other species of flora and fauna subsequently named after her.

© Public Domain 

Nuttall's woodpecker -

A well-known resident of California's woodlands, Nuttall's woodpecker has also been spotted as far east as Wyoming. While its preferred habitat is arid deciduous forest, these birds will also investigate riverside zones and chaparral.

© Shutterstock 

Thomas Nuttall (1786–1859) -

Nuttall's woodpecker is named after Thomas Nuttall, an English botanist and zoologist who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841, including a residency at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The woodpecker is among several species of flora and flora bearing his surname.

© Public Domain

Russell's viper -

One of the most venomous snakes found on the Indian subcontinent, Russell's viper tends to avoid dense forests in favor of mostly open, grassy, or bushy areas⁠—habitats where its camouflaged skin is at its most effective, and deadly.

© Shutterstock 

Patrick Russell (1726–1805) -

Russell's viper is named for Patrick Russell, a Scottish surgeon and naturalist who worked in India. His expertise in the filed of ophiology— the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles—garnered huge respect and admiration from his peers.

© Public Domain

Burchell's coucal -

A species of cuckoo found in sub-Saharan Africa, Burchell's coucal is a common resident of this region of the continent. The bird is known for its distinctive call, which resembles the glug-glug-glug of water pouring from a bottle.

© Shutterstock 

William John Burchell (1781–1863) -

English explorer, naturalist, and author William John Burchell is celebrated for the thousands of plant species he collected over his lifetime, now held at London's Kew Gardens, and for his insect collection today preserved by the Oxford University Museum. Besides the aforementioned coucal, he is commemorated by several species, among them Burchell's zebra and Burchell's sandgrouse.

© Getty Images 

Stejneger's scoter -

A large sea duck whose range extends across Asia, including Mongolia and China, Stejneger's scoter is also quite at home in a freshwater environment.

© Shutterstock 

Leonhard Stejneger (1851–1943) -

Stejneger's scoter is named for Norwegian-born American ornithologist Leonhard Stejneger, who in fact gained his greatest reputation with reptiles and amphibians. He is commemorated in the scientific names of 13 reptiles.

© Getty Images 

Elliot's pheasant -

A large, colorful, and strikingly marked game bird native to southeastern China, Elliot's pheasant is found in mountain forests at altitudes of 200–1,900 m (660–6,230 ft).

© Shutterstock 

Daniel Giraud Elliot (1835–1915) -

Elliot's pheasant is named in honor of Daniel Giraud Elliot, an American zoologist who was the founder of the American Ornithologist Union and cofounder of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

© Public Domain 

Richardson's ground squirrel -

Endemic to North America, specifically the northern states of the United States such as North Dakota and Montana, as well as in western Canada, Richardson's ground squirrel is mostly seen foraging in short grass prairies, though it has been known to venture into urban areas.

© Shutterstock 

Sir John Richardson (1787–1865) -

Scottish naturalist and Arctic explorer Sir John Richardson spent much of his time in North America serving as a naval surgeon on various expeditions, including with John Franklin in search of the Northwest Passage on the Coppermine Expedition of 1819–1822. Richardson's ground squirrel is one of several reptile and mammal species named after him.

© Getty Images 

Sabine's gull -

Sabine's gull calls the chilly Arctic home, through northernmost North America and Eurasia. However, it migrates south in the fall, to winter at sea in the Pacific off western South America.

© Shutterstock 

Joseph Sabine (1770–1837) -

English naturalist Joseph Sabine is the person for whom Sabine's gull is named. Primarily a writer on horticulture, Sabine discovered the new gull species as a member of Scottish polar explorer John Ross' Arctic voyage in 1818.

© Public Domain

Townsend's mole -

Townsend's mole is the largest North American mole. As you'd expect, it spends much of its time underground, burrowing its way anywhere along the Pacific coast from southwestern British Columbia to northwestern California.

© Shutterstock 

John Kirk Townsend (1809–1851) -

Townsend's mole is named for American naturalist and ornithologist John Kirk Townsend. Working with John James Audubon, Townsend collected dozens of animals species during his travels. Besides Townsend's mole, other creatures baring his surname include Townsend's warbler and Townsend's big-eared bat.

© Public Domain

Montagu's harrier -

Widely distributed in selected areas across Europe, Morocco, and as far east as the Urals⁠—and a rare breeding raptor in Great Britain⁠— Montagu's harrier while powerful is particularly graceful in flight.

© Shutterstock 

George Montagu (1753–1815) -

His careful and passionate study of harriers in the 18th century led to British army officer and naturalist George Montagu being commemorated by this particular bird of prey. Montagu's blenny, a species of fish, is also named after him. 

Sources: (Britannica) (IUCN Red List) (National Geographic) (Animalia)

See also: How to have an ethical wildlife experience

© Public Domain