Derek Yalden

Derek William Yalden
B.Sc., Ph.D.
Yalden at the BTO Conference in 2010
Born(1940-11-04)4 November 1940
Surrey, England
Died5 February 2013(2013-02-05) (aged 72)
Monuments
NationalityBritish
Alma mater
Occupations
Employer(s)University of Manchester, School of Biological Sciences
Known forPresident of The Mammal Society

Derek William Yalden (4 November 1940 5 February 2013) was an eminent British zoologist and academic. He was an honorary header at the University of Manchester.

After obtaining a 1st Class B.Sc. University College London in 1962, he completed his PhD on carpal bones in mammals at Royal Holloway College, under P. M. Butler, in 1965. He then worked as an Assistant Lecturer, and eventually Senior Lecturer, at the University of Manchester, School of Biological Sciences, teaching vertebrate zoology. He retired from there in 2005, after 40 years' service.

He was president of The Mammal Society from 1997 until his death, and edited their journal, Mammal Review from 1980–2002. He authored or co-authored over 200 scientific publications.

Leptopelis yaldeni, (grassland forest tree frog, named by M. Largen in 1977), and Desmomys yaldeni (Yalden's desmomys, a rodent named by L. Lavrenchenko in 2003) are named in his honour. Both are endemic to Ethiopia.