Charles Haskins Townsend
Charles Haskins Townsend | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 29, 1859 Parnassus, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 28, 1944 (aged 84) |
| Alma mater | Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia |
| Spouse(s) | Ella Townsend, nee Bean, (1854–1935) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Zoology |
| Institutions | United States Fish Commission New York Aquarium |
Charles Haskins Townsend (September 29, 1859 – January 28, 1944) was an American zoologist and naturalist who served as the director of the New York Aquarium, from 1902 to 1937.
In 1928 and 1933, Townsend led two expeditions to the Galapagos islands, to save the Galapagos tortoise from extinction. Townsend collected nearly two-hundred samples of the tortoise, and brought them home to New York. Townsend established over a dozen breeding colonies for the tortoise. These colonies were later used to repopulate the tortoises on the Galapagos islands.