Which explorer’s wife gave the Adélie penguin its name?

Adèle Dumont d’Urville, wife of French explorer Jules Dumont d’Urville, gave the Adélie penguin its name.

Jules Dumont d’Urville encountered the penguin during his 1837–1840 expedition to Antarctica. He named the species after his wife, Adèle, following a convention in which explorers attached personal names to places and natural discoveries.

The same expedition also inspired the name Adélie Land for a sector of the Antarctic coast. Adélie penguins are medium-sized penguins with black heads, white eye rings and a white belly. They breed on rocky Antarctic shores and nearby islands.

The accent in Adélie is part of the established name, although English sources sometimes omit it. The species should not be confused with emperor penguins, which are taller and breed on sea ice during the Antarctic winter.