As you know, there are millions of kinds of animals in the world. Many of them have different names, yet refer to the same animal, depending on what area of the world you inhabit. To solve this type of problem, scientists have devised a modern system of grouping and naming animals.
All living organisms can be divided into seven main levels of classification. They are: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species. As an example, let's see how some of the animals you'll see during your trip to Marineland have been classified.
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
Animalia |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
Chordata |
Chordata |
| Class |
Mammalia |
Mammalia |
Osteichthyes |
| Order |
Cetacea |
Carnivora |
Cypriniformes |
| Family |
Delphinidae |
Ursidae |
Cyprinidae |
| Genus |
Orcinus |
Euarctos |
Cyprinus |
| Species
| Orca |
Americanus |
Carpio |
A scientific name is given to every animal that is known. It is possible for an animal to have several common names; however, no two animals will ever have the same genus-species name. We can see that the scientific name for Killer Whale is Orcinus orca; for the Black Bear Euarctos americanus; and for the Carp, it is Cyprinus carpio. During your visit to Marineland, you may even observe some Homo sapiens!
In classifying the animals, scientists look for consistent differences to distinguish one type of animal from another. They note such things as geographic distribution, fur or skin colour, type of hoof, number of teeth, diet, size, bone structure and fetal development.
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