Scientific Names

What Is a Scientific Name?

Word of the Week

Genus

A genus is a taxonomic rank slightly broader than the species rank. Organisms that share a genus are closely related and have many inherited traits in common.


An organism's genus is the first word in its scientific name. Pronghorns are the only living member in their genus, meaning they are not especially closely related to any other living species.

How to Write a Scientific Name

When writing a scientific name, the genus (first word) is always capitalized and the entire name should be in italics.

The scientific name for a species should be written in this format:

Genus species


So the scientific name for a tiger would be:

Panthera tigris

The scientific name for a subspecies should be written in this format:

Genus species subspecies


So the scientific name for a Sumatran tiger would be:

Panthera tigris sumatrae

Scientific Name Shorthand

Scientific names are often abbreviated!

To save time, some scientists will use the first letter of the genus, period, and 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

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.

Species Spotlight

African Leopard

Panthera pardus pardus

The African leopard is a subspecies of leopard found in many habitats throughout Africa, including savanna, woodland, and even some mountainous forests. Like most other cats, they are solitary except when breeding or with cubs. African leopards are powerful predators! They can eat prey ranging in size from a large beetle to a 2,000-lb eland. Their ability to eat many types of animals (more than 90 species!) has allowed them to survive in many different types of habitats. Because of the amount of competition where leopards hunt, they have been known to bring their prey into trees to prevent other predators from stealing their catch.


There are many subspecies of leopard, though all other leopard subspecies live in Asia! Recent studies have shown that, compared to other subspecies of other animals, the African leopard is not as closely related to the Asian subspecies as scientists predicted. Some scientists now argue that they should be separate species, not subspecies, which could affect how leopards are protected.

Conservation Corner

Why Do Animals Need Scientific Names?

Sometimes it can feel like science words were designed just to confuse us. Scientific names might be long and hard to pronounce, but they are designed to make sure we DON'T get confused!


We can learn a lot about an animal using its scientific name! No two organisms have the same scientific name, so they can be used like a system to organize species. We can also tell if animals are closely related by looking at the genera (plural for genus).


It is actually common names that can make learning about animals confusing. Starfish are called "fish," but they are not fish! They are echinoderms, like urchins and sand dollars.


Red pandas are called "pandas," but they are not related to giant pandas! They are the only member of their genus. Scientists think their closest living relatives are skunks, raccoons, and weasels.


Scientific names are important, not just for animals, but also for plants, fungi, and even bacteria. They help scientists communicate clearly about different species and can provide hints about the type of organism.

BRAIN BLAST

We call red pandas "pandas" even though they are not closely related to panda bears! Make a list of other animals that have misleading names. What challenges does this create?

Scientific Name Solutions

Identify if each box below is describing a genus, species, or subspecies by dragging them to the appropriate column.

Scientific Name Solutions Printable

Scientific Names Challenge

Select two animal species.


Complete the packet below to better understand your animals, their scientific names, and their relatives.


*Given that scientific names are a more advanced concept, this challenge only has an "expert" option*

Glossary

Genus

A taxonomic rank slightly broader than the species rank. Organisms that share a genus are closely related and have many inherited traits in common. 

Scientific Name

[Also known as a Latin name or binomial name] A unique name given to a living organism used by scientists consisting of the genus name and species name.

Species

A group of very closely related organisms that share physical and behavioral traits and are capable of breeding.

Subspecies

A group of incredibly closely related organisms in a species that have often become geographically separated from the rest of the species.

Taxonomy

The scientific study of how organisms are identified, described, and classified.

Share by: