Which wildlife expert are you most closely connected to?

Question

This week's Example Profile of the Week is Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter and Australian conservationist, in honor of World Wildlife Day. 

Featured alongside him are other wildlife experts:

• Jean Audubon
• Dian Fossey
• Jacques Cousteau
• Antoon van Hooff
• Sir Peter Scott
• Gerald Durrell
• Ernest Just
• Ian Player

Who are you most closely connected to? If you're one of the 21,873,000 of us who are connected to each other on our big tree you can check with the Connection Finder.

You can also check for shared ancestors with the Relationship Finder. Are you a cousin to any of them? Your Relationship Finder Quick Links page (see your profile pull-down menu under "Relationships") has quick links for several notable groups.

Let us know below!

P.S. Help us choose and improve profiles for next week's feature: communications innovators.

Answer 1

I am 22 degrees each from Jean Audubon and Dian Fossey. What a great reminder to fill up my bird feeder on this beautiful morning!

Answer 2

I am most closely connected to Dian Fossey at 21 degrees of separation.

• 21 28 degrees from Dian Fossey
  • 6 branches (8-2-2-1-5-4)
• 23 24 degrees from Steve Irwin
  • 5 branches (1-5-5-4-9)
• 24 25 degrees from John James Audubon
  • 5 branches (1-4-7-8-5)
• 25 26 degrees from Peter Scott
  • 6 branches (6-3-5-3-4-5)
• 28 degrees from Ernest Just
  • 7 branches (4-5-4-3-2-3-8)
• 29 30 degrees from Jacques-Yves Cousteau
  • 5 branches (1-8-13-4-4)
• 29 degrees from Ian Player
  • 5 branches (1-6-2-12-9)
• 34 degrees from Antoon van Hooff
  • 6 branches (5-5-8-7-5-5)
• 36 39 degrees from Gerald Durrell
  • 8 branches (6-6-7-5-4-2-3-4)

Answer 3

I am most closely connected to Steve Irwin at 23 degrees.

Answer 4

I am 17 degrees from John James Audubon.

Answer 5

I think Steve Irwin was featured before because I know I have his family on my Ancestry tree.

21 degrees from John James Audubon

27 degrees from Jacques-Yves Cousteau

34 degrees from Gerald Durrell

18 degrees from Dian Fossey

24 degrees from Steve Irwin

34 degrees from Ernest Just

27 degrees from Ian Player

24 degrees from Peter Scott,

30 degrees from Antoon van Hooff

21 degrees from Marta Johnson.

Some of these people are new to me.

Answer 6

I'm 21 degrees from Steve Irwin, but only 15 degrees from Marta Johnson (11th cousins).

Answer 7

My closest connection is with John James Audubon, who is 20 degrees from me through my father's side.

Out of all of these people, my only recorded blood relation according to WikiTree is Sir Peter Scott, who is my 11th Cousin 6x removed. Our common ancestors being Michael Stanhope & Anne Rawson.

Answer 8

19 degrees from John James Audubon
20 degrees from Steve Irwin
21 degrees from Dian Fossey (11th cousins, 2x removed)
23 degrees from Peter Scott (13th cousins, 4x removed)
23 degrees from Jacques-Yves Cousteau
27 degrees from Ian Player
28 degrees from Ernest Just
28 degrees from Antoon van Hooff
30 degrees from Gerald Durrell

Answer 9

22 degrees from John James Audubon.

26 degrees from Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

35 degrees from Gerald Durrell.

26 degrees from Dian Fossey.

18 degrees from Steve Irwin.

31 degrees from Ernest Just.

25 degrees from Ian Player.

20 degrees from Peter Scott. 11th cousin 3 times removed. MCRA George (Heveringham) Henningham (abt 1473 - 1530)

32 degrees from Antoon van Hooff.

Answer 10

I'm 19 degrees from Steve Irwin and Sir Peter Scott. Next closest after that is Ian Player at 21 degrees.

Answer 11

It was fun reading about some of these wildlife experts. Growing up, I read some of Audubon's work and watched Steve Irwin's show - fond memories. I didn't know about any of the others.

• Jean Audubon: 22 degrees on my paternal side.
• Dian Fossey: 24 degrees on my paternal side and a likely 11th cousin four times removed on my maternal side.
• Jacques Cousteau: 26 degrees on my paternal side.
• Antoon van Hooff: 30 degrees on my paternal side.
• Sir Peter Scott: 23 degrees on my maternal side and a 12th cousin twice removed as well.
• Gerald Durrell: 33 degrees on my maternal side.
• Ernest Just: 33 degrees on my paternal side.
• Ian Player: 27 degrees on my paternal side.

This set was fun and filled some gaps in my knowledge of wildlife experts. Marta Johnson, the WikiTree Member of the Week, is 22 degrees through my paternal side and a 12th cousin on my maternal side. 

Answer 12

• 21 degrees from John James Audubon
• 26 degrees from Jacques-Yves Cousteau
• 35 degrees from Gerald Durrell
• 18 degrees from Dian Fossey (also a cousin !, I enjoyed watching her as a kid.)
• 19 degrees from Steve Irwin
• 30 degrees from Ernest Just
• 25 degrees from Ian Player
• 17 degrees from Peter Scott
• 32 degrees from Antoon van Hooff

Answer 13

Jean Audubon at 19 degrees is the closest.  Fun, since I grew up within a long bicycle ride of John James Audubon state park.  Now, thousands of miles away, we have a nice reprint of his Red Shouldered Hawk painting in a prominent place.

No relatives, aside from 9th cousin twice removed Marta Johnson.

Answer 14

I am 20 degrees from Jean Audubon. That's cool!

I am an 11th cousin, once removed to Sir Peter Scott. We are both connected to Arthur Mainwaring, born in Shropshire, England. He, through Arthur's daughter Elizabeth Ashton. Me, through daughter Mary Cotton through the Robert Abell line.

I am also the 11th cousin to Dian Fossey. Dian and I were born in San Francisco. She's a California girl! We are both connected to William Oldham Sr. 1568-1636. He was born in Derby, Derbyshire, England. My connection goes through Grace Brewster, who was related to a Mayflower Passenger, William Brewster.

Answer 15

Crikey. Steve Irwin is the closest at 17 degrees.

Leslie is 29 degrees from John James Audubon, 30 degrees from Jacques-Yves Cousteau, 35 degrees from Gerald Durrell, 21 degrees from Dian Fossey, 17 degrees from Steve Irwin, 37 degrees from Ernest Just, 27 degrees from Ian Player, 24 degrees from Peter Scott, 37 degrees from Antoon van Hooff and 26 degrees from Marta Johnson

Answer 16

I was quite surprised this time how close a connection I had. Peter Scott is my 11th cousin, but he married my 6th cousin (3 times removed on my side), bringing him even closer on the connection finder, down to 17 steps.

Answer 17

CRIKEY! I'm 23 degrees away from Steve Irwin. That's pretty amazing. Does that mean I'll wrestle a croc to the ground? No. I'll leave that to the professionals. =)

Now to find a pair of those shorts....

Answer 18

20 degrees from John James Audubon.  This is just the medicine I needed.  Now I can explain why our family has a love of birds and why my mother was always right about feeding them.  

Others:

24 degrees from Jacques-Yves Cousteau

34 degrees from Gerald Durrell

20 degrees from Dian Fossey

21 degrees from Steve Irwin

33 degrees from Ernest Just

25 degrees from Ian Player

22 degrees from Peter Scott

32 degrees from Antoon van Hooff

21 degrees from Marta Johnson

Answer 19

19 degrees from John James Audubon

25 degrees from Jacques-Yves Cousteau

35 degrees from Gerald Durrell

21 degrees from Dian Fossey, 16th cousins once removed, MRCA Thomas (Grosvenor) le Grosvenor, Grosvenor-17

22 degrees from Steve Irwin

26 degrees from Ernest Just

27 degrees from Ian Player

22 degrees from Sir Peter Scott, 15th cousins, MRCA William Mainwaring, Mainwaring-15

32 degrees from Antoon van Hooff

Answer 20

Here are my most to least close wild life connections:

Steve Irwin 18 degrees, 

John James Audubon 19 degrees, 

Dian Fossey 19 degrees, 

Peter Scott 22 degrees, 18th cousin 1x removed through MRCA Peter Dutton

Jacques-Yves Cousteau 26 degrees, 

Ian Player 27 degrees, 

Ernest Just 30 degrees, 

Antoon van Hooff 32 degrees, 

Gerald Durrell 34 degrees. 

And it's a beautiful day sitting in my meditation garden watching hummingbirds, sparrows, and hearing the calls of the morning doves.