Animal Taxonomy

Animal Classification Systematic/Taxonomy Systematic includes taxonomy, which is the naming and classification of species and groups of species. Taxonomy: is that branch of biology dealing with the identification and naming of organisms. Aristotle (ancient Greek philosopher) began the science of taxonomy. Carolus Linneus (1700s) (Swedish botanist) classified all then-known organisms into two large kingdoms: a) Kingdom Plantae b) Kingdom Animalia Robert Whittaker in 1969 proposed five kingdoms: Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Protista, and Monera. Recent studies suggest that three domains be employed: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryote

Animal Taxonomy Linneus classified species as the smallest unit, and that each species nested within a higher category Species is a Latin word meaning “kind” or “appearance Differentiation between species based on: a)- Morphological differences b)- The potential to interbreed with each other in nature to produce fertile offspring

Animal Taxonomy Thus, a species is a population or group of populations whose members have the potential to interbreed with each other in nature to produce fertile offspring, but cannot produce fertile offspring with members of other species. In contrast, humans have considerable diversity, but we all belong to the same species because of our capacity to interbreed.

Traditional Classification Traditional Classification: depends on both common ancestry and the amount of differences among groups. The traditional , dating to Linneaus view, is that birds have feathers , reptiles have scales , and mammals have hair . Linneus placed each of these groups in a separate class within the Phylum Chordata.

Binomial nomenclature Linneus developed the concept of binomial nomenclature, whereby scientists could communicate clearly. Under the binomial system, each species is assigned a two-part latinized name, (a binomial): The first part, the genus , is the group to which a species belongs. The second part, refers to the species within the genus. The first letter of the genus is capitalized and both names are italicized and latinized. For example, Linnaeus assigned to humans the scientific name Homo sapiens, which means “wise man”.

Systematic position of human Scientific name: Homo sapiens (The Wise Man)

The Summary