Pennant, Thomas (1726–1798)

British zoologist and traveller. In 1766 he began the publication of his first great work, The British Zoology. In 1765, during the progress of this work, Pennant made a tour of the Continent. In 1771 he published A Synopsis of Quadrupeds. He followed the arrangement conceived by the English naturalist John Ray, introducing the genera established by the Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus. The Synopsis, when enlarged, was republished under the title A History of Quadrupeds (1781).

Pennant was born in Downing, Flintshire, Wales. He was educated at Wrexham School and Oxford University. After his return to England, he began a work on Indian Zoology, of which 15 folio plates were published. Among his other works was the systematic catalogue called The Genera of Birds, but it was never completed. His last great work was his two-volume Arctic Zoology (1784–87). He also wrote a number of travel books, including Tours of Scotland (1771–75) and Tours of Wales (1778–81).