Classification

Why are the scientific names of plants and animals so long and hard to say? Those are their names in binomial nomenclature, the two-name identification system developed by Carolus Linnaeus hundreds of years ago! In this BrainPOP movie, Tim and Moby explain why all organisms need to have long and sometimes unpronounceable names. You’ll learn about the major subcategories, or taxa, that biologists use to classify organisms. These include: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. And you’ll see how different animal species are ordered in the tree of life, including all of the kingdom and taxa they belong to. This is not classified information—so come and learn!

Watch the Science movie about Classification »