Scientific Names Mini-Lesson

Scientific Names

Binomial or Latin Names

You can tell a lot about an animal by its name.

Most animal species have both a common name and a scientific name. Scientific names are also called Latin or Binomial names.

We usually use common names when talking about animals, but common names can often be confusing. For example...
Starfish are actually invertebrates, not fish. 
Prairie dogs are a type of squirrel, not a dog! 
Red pandas are not true pandas; they are more closely related to raccoons! 
Scientists will usually use Latin names when discussing animals because it is more accurate and can tell us more about the animal. The scientific name can tell us if we are talking about a specific subspecies or a broader taxonomic group!

When writing a scientific name, the genus is always capitalized and the whole name is italicized.

How to Write Scientific Names

When writing about a species, you write the capitalized genus followed by the lowercased species name! This is how you would write the scientific name for tigers!
When writing about a subspecies, you add the subspecies name to the end! Like the species name, this word is never capitalized. This is how you would write the scientific name for the Sumatran tiger, a subspecies of tiger!

Examples

Leopard

Panthera pardus

SPECIES

Like the tiger and other big cats, leopards belong to the genus Panthera. Leopards are a species (with several subspecies!).

Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

SPECIES

Greater flamingos are one of six species in the genus Phoenicopterus!

Southern White Rhinoceros

Ceratotherium simum simum

SUBSPECIES

The genus Ceratotherium contains one species, the white rhinoceros. There are two subspecies of white rhinoceros, the northern and the southern (the northern subspecies only has two individuals left!).

Rhinoceros Hornbill

Buceros rhinoceros

SPECIES

The rhinoceros hornbill is one of three closely related species of hornbills in the genus Buceros.

Eastern Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina carolina

SUBSPECIES

Terrapene is a genus with six species of turtles commonly known as box turtles. Terrapene carolina carolina, or eastern box turtle, is a subspecies of common box turtle (Terrapene carolina).

Scientific Nicknames

Species Shorthand

You might see an animal's scientific name abbreviated. To save time, some scientists will use the first letter of the genus, period, and the full species names. This is done for subspecies, too!


Tiger (Panthera tigris): P. tigris

Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus): P. roseus

Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina): T. c. carolina

Southern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum): C. s. simum

Genus ssp.

When discussing a genus as a whole, scientists will write the genus name followed by sp. (if there is just a single species) or ssp. (for several species).


If we were writing about koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) , who are the only member of their genus, we would write...

Phascolarctos sp.


If we were writing about all six species of flamingos, we would write...

Phoenicopterus ssp.

Let's Test Our Understanding!

1.

Leopard: Panthera pardus

  • Is this a genus, species, or subspecies?

    Species! Other species in this genus include lions, jaguars, and other big cats.

2.

Mexican Wolf: C. l. baileyi

  • Is this a genus, species, or subspecies?

    Subspecies (written with abbreviations) of gray wolf.

3.

Gorillas: Gorilla ssp.

  • Is this a genus, species, or subspecies?

    Genus: contains 2 species and 4 subspecies of gorillas.

4.

Banded Rock Rattlesnake: Crotalus lepidus klauberi

  • Is this a genus, species, or subspecies?

    Subspecies of rock rattlesnake!

5.

Six-Banded Armadillo: Euphractus sp.

  • Is this a genus, species, or subspecies?

    Genus! This genus only contains one species (sp. instead of ssp.).

6.

Red Kangaroo: O. rufus

  • Is this a genus, species, or subspecies?

    Species! 

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