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

Most animal species have a common name (sometimes several) and a scientific name. Scientific names are also called Latin names or binomial names.

We usually use common names when talking casually about animals. We call a lion… well, a lion. We don't usually call them a panthera leo. But common names can often be confusing. For example...

• Starfish are invertebrates, not fish. 
• Prairie dogs are squirrels, not dogs.
• Red pandas are not related to giant pandas even though they are both called "pandas."

Scientists use Latin names when discussing animals because they are more specific and tell us more about the animal. A scientific name tells us if we are talking about a species, subspecies, or broader taxonomic group.

When writing a scientific name, the Genus Is Always Capitalized and the whole name is italicized.

Writing the Scientific Name of a Species

When writing the scientific name of a species, write the genus (capitalized) followed by the species name (lowercase). This is how you would write the scientific name for a leopard:

Panthera pardus

Writing the Scientific Name of a Subspecies

When writing the scientific name of a subspecies, add the subspecies name following the genus and species name. Like the species name, this word is never capitalized. This is how you would write the scientific name for the Amur leopard, a subspecies of leopard:

Panthera pardus orientalis

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

Abbreviating the Name of a Species or Subspecies

Species

A leopard's scientific name is Panthera parudus. It is abbreviated as:

P. pardus

Subspecies

An Amur leopard's scientific name is Panthera parudus orientalis. It is abbreviated as:

P. p. orientalis

Here are more examples of abbreviated scientific names.

• Greater flamingo: Phoenicopterus roseus

P. roseus

• Eastern box turtle: Terrapene carolina carolina

T. c. carolina



• Southern white rhino: Ceratotherium simum simum

C. s. simum

Abbreviating the Species in a Genus

Genus

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

The genus Panthera includes leopards, tigers, jaguars, lions, and snow leopards. If we were discussing all 5 species, we would write...

Panthera ssp.


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

Phascolarctos sp.

While learning how to write scientific names might be confusing, they are actually meant to help scientists avoid confusion! Take some time to research your favorite animals and practice writing their scientific names so you can become an expert.