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Quick Taxonomic Reference
For anyone who does not quite remember the specifics of scientific classification, here is a quick refresher. Taxonomy is the branch of biology that deals with naming the many species of life present on earth in an orderly scheme. The current style of formal (binomial) nomenclature was developed in 1758 by a Swedish botanist named Carolus Linnaeus and has been in use since, although some criteria have changed as new discoveries surface.
This style of binomial nomenclature establishes approximately seven levels called taxa, which determine higher level aggregations of species. These have been further stratified to include "super" and "sub" categories depending on scientific/author interpretation.
In this system, each organism is given a scientific name of two latinized parts: genus and species epithets. Within the same species, populations can interbreed; while between higher taxon, this is not usually possible. Organisms can then be grouped into larger categories, which helps scientists to identify and understand their relationships and evolutionary history. See the table below.
|
Taxon |
Brown Treesnake |
Man |
|---|---|---|
|
Kingdom |
Animalia |
Animalia |
|
Phylum |
Chordata |
Chordata |
|
Subphylum |
Vertebrata |
Vertebrata |
|
Class |
Reptilia |
Mammalia |
|
Order |
Squamata |
Primata |
|
Family |
Colubridae |
Hominidae |
|
Genus |
Boiga |
Homo |
|
Species Epithet |
irregularis |
sapiens |
|
Binomial |
Boiga irregularis |
Homo sapiens |
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