Charles Clifford Gordon Chaplin (1906–1991) was an American

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 35,800 species of fish had been described as of March 2 ...

and author of British origins.

Personal life

Chaplin was born in

Ranikhet Ranikhet ( Kumaoni: ) is a hill station and cantonment town, near Almora Town in Almora district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the home of the Military Hospital, Kumaon Regiment (KRC) and Naga Regiment and is maintained by the Ind ...

, India, where his father, a major in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, was stationed. Chaplin grew up in

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

, UK, and was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

, England. In 1937, he married Louise Davis Catherwood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

(1906–1983), and moved to that city. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served with the British Consulate in Philadelphia and later became an American citizen.

Career

In the late 1940s Chaplin began his ichthyological work in

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...

, as a research associate for Philadelphia's

Academy of Natural Sciences The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the Americas. It was founded in 1812, by many of the leading natur ...

Fishes of the Bahamas and Adjacent Waters

Over the next 15 years, working with his Academy colleague Dr James Böhlke, he studied and collected over 500 species of Bahamian fishes, 65 of them never before described. Their work led to the co-authorship of ''Fishes of the Bahamas and Adjacent Tropical Waters'' (1968, with a new edition published in 1992). The book remains the "primary reference for the identification of West Indian fishes". Chaplin and Bohlke pioneered the use of SCUBA gear and the organic ichthyocide

rotenone Rotenone is an odorless, colorless, crystalline isoflavone. It occurs naturally in the seeds and stems of several plants, such as the jicama vine, and in the roots of several other members of the Fabaceae. It was the first-described member of the ...

in collecting specimens.

Fishwatchers Guide

With British artist and conservationist Sir

Peter Scott Sir Peter Markham Scott (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservation movement, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and Sportsperson, sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Fal ...

as illustrator, Chaplin then compiled a general interest guide, ''A Fishwatchers Guide to West Atlantic Coral Reefs'', with a pioneering waterproof edition that could be taken underwater by divers. Waterproof fish guides have since become standard.

Exuma Cays and Sea Park

In 1959, Chaplin and a group of

conservationists The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental, and social movement that seeks to manage and protect natural resources, including animal, fungus, and plant species as well as their habitat for the ...

from Nassau including

Ilya Tolstoy Count Ilya Lvovich Tolstoy (; 22 May 1866 – 11 December 1933) was a Russian writer, and the third child and second son of Leo Tolstoy. Early life Ilya was born at Yasnaya Polyana and spent most of his young life there, until the family took ...

, grandson of the writer Leo Tolstoy, founded the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, one of the world's first underwater marine reserves. To oversee the park's operation, they established the

Bahamas National Trust The Bahamas National Trust is a non-profit organisation in the Bahamas that manages the country's 32 national parks.. Its headquarters is located in New Providence in the Bay Street Business Centre, East Bay Street. Its office was formally locate ...

Awards

Chaplin was a recipient of the International Oceanographic Foundation's Angling Award for his contributions to

marine science Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of top ...

.Miami Herald, Nov.15, 1961

Death

Chaplin died in 1991 of an

aortic aneurysm An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement (dilatation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. Typically, there are no symptoms except when the aneurysm dissects or ruptures, which causes sudden, severe pain in the abdomen and lower back ...

. He was survived by son,

Gordon Waterman Chaplin Gordon Chaplin (born 1945) is an American writer and conservationist. Early life and education Chaplin was born in Philadelphia and graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. He holds a degree in English literature from Boston ...

and one daughter.

References

Reviews

* Smith, C.L.. ''Copeia'', Vol. 1969, No. 1, pp. 211–212 *"Fishes of the Bahamas and Adjacent Tropical Waters". ''American Forests'', v.77, Oct 1971, p. 42 * Smith, C.L.. ''Copeia'', Vol. 1994, No. 1, pp. 253–254 * Cowen, R.. ''The Quarterly Review of Biology'', Vol. 69, No. 1 (Mar., 1994), pp. 115–116 {{DEFAULTSORT:Chaplin, Charles C. G. 1906 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American zoologists American ichthyologists British people in colonial India Emigrants from British India to the United States People educated at Eton College American people of English descent People from Almora district