Sclaters

Sclaters is a surname of English origin. The term can refer to multiple individuals bearing the name, most prominently Philip Lutley Sclater (1829–1913), an English lawyer who became a notable zoologist and ornithologist. Through his scholarly work and leadership in scientific societies, he helped advance the study of birds and biogeography.

Sclater’s contributions to zoology included advocacy for systematic classification and the geographical study of species. He was associated with the Zoological Society of London and contributed to ornithological science through various publications. He is particularly remembered for proposing a framework of zoogeographic regions used to describe the Earth's major biogeographic divisions.

These zoogeographic regions, originally described in Sclater’s work, are commonly referred to as the six zoogeographic realms: Nearctic, Neotropical, Palearctic, Ethiopian, Oriental, and Australian. The concept influenced subsequent biogeographical research and remains a foundational reference in the field, even as later work refined regional boundaries.

The surname Sclater has appeared in various professions beyond science, including education, law, and public administration. The plural form, Sclaters, is used in English to denote all individuals bearing the surname or groups associated with it.

See also: Sclater (disambiguation) and Sclater (surname).