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Learn how biologists classify animals into Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species using taxonomy. Understand scientific naming conventions and discover the specific classification of the African Elephant.
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CLASSIFYINGANIMALS OCS Biology
Classifying Animals • Biologists divide animals into groups based on their similarities. • The science of classifying organisms is called taxonomy. • Biologists use the similar features of organisms to determine how the organisms are related.
The Seven Levels of Classification • There are seven levels of classification: 1. Kingdom 2. Phylum 3. Class 4. Order 5. Family 6. Genus 7. Species
Classification • Every organism that has been identified has its own place in the classification system. • Some classification groups contain a large number of species. Other orders may have just a few.
Scientific Names • Biologists have given each species a scientific name. • The name consists of two (2) words: 1. The first word is the organism’s genus. 2. The second word is the species label. • The scientific name given to each species is unique. • The scientific name is Latin so biologists around the world recognize it.
Scientific Names • The first word in the scientific name is capitalized; the second word is not. • The scientific name is always in italicsor is underlined.
An Example: Classification of the African Elephant • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Chordata • Class: Mammalia • Order: Proboscidea • Family: Elephantidae • *Genus: Loxodenta • *Species: africana
Scientific Name of The African Elephant • The scientific name for the African Elephant is Loxodonta africana. • This is the combined Genus (Loxodonta) and Species (africana).