Classification, as the name suggests, is a way to organise organisms into categories, so the similar organisms are grouped close together, and the less similar are grouped less closely together. Linnaean taxonomy is a prime example of this, where it uses many categories, progressively narrowing down the number of species at each level until one species (or in some cases, subspecies) stands alone.
Linnaean Taxonomy[]
(this is the classification system used on this wiki)
Example: Domestic Cat (Felis catus)
- Kingdom: Animalia, all animals.
- Phylum: Chordata, animals with a central nerve chord (spinal cord).
- Subphylum: Vertebrata, the spinal cord is encased in a bony vertebral column (spinal column).
- Class: Mammalia, all mammals (endotherms/warm-blooded vertebrates with hair, milk glands, and a four-chambered heart.
- Subclass: Eutheria, placental mammals that bear live young.
- Order: Carnivora, posses specialised, meat-eating teeth.
- Family: Felidae, all cats.
- Genus: Felis, all small cats.
- Species: catus, domestic cat.
Other categories used in linnaean taxonomy include:
- Subspecies: An example is U. a. arctos