WildlifeCampus – Game Ranging Course 1
Classification and Taxonomy
Objectives
To achieve an understanding of the concepts of Classification and Taxonomy as they
relate to biological science.
Expected Outcomes
• To be able to rationalise the reasons for biological classification.
• To be able to classify common animals.
• To deduce the relatedness of animals based on their classification.
• To be able to define the terms taxonomy and nomenclature.
• To begin to comprehend the diversity of life on our planet.
Classification & Taxonomy
WildlifeCampus – Game Ranging Course 2
Philosophy of Science
Before beginning to study biological science it is important to understand the one
aspect that dominates all study of science. This is referred to as one of its
philosophies.
Basically it says that in order to understand anything, it is first necessary to
understand its component parts. This is how we learned about our universe.
First we needed to understand our own planet, then how it fitted in with the rest of our
solar system. Then we were able to investigate how our solar system was a part of our
galaxy. Only once we figured this out could we make any sense of the universe. In this
way we break down large objects (systems, organisms, plant etc.) into their component
smaller ones. It is always easier to understand the smaller components than the larger
ones. This philosophy is known as Reductionism.
Another good example are biological systems.
• At the smallest level is the cell.
• Cells of the same function group together to form tissue (nerve tissues, brain tissue)
• Tissues group together to form organs ( The brain, nerves, synapses)
• Organs groups together to form systems (Nervous system, circulatory system)
• Systems group together to form organisms (Humans)
Activity
Put the following components of a system into the correct order
• Atom
• Molecule
• Element
• Proton
• Compound
This brings us naturally to our first topic - Classification and Taxonomy. In this field
we learn how to ‘break down’ the life on our planet.
Classification & Taxonomy
WildlifeCampus – Game Ranging Course 3
Classification and Taxonomy
In order for one to study animals successfully, it is important to know and understand
how one animal is related to another.
To make it easier to study life on earth, it is essential to have some means of
grouping all forms of life into smaller and more manageable units. It is the
taxonomist who is responsible for this arrangement.
The study of taxonomy is also called systematic zoology.
The taxonomist has two fields of endeavour, the first being the classification of
animals into their units, and the other being the nomenclature of animals. This latter
section is the process of assigning names to new species as and when they are
discovered.
The different groups into which animals and plants may be divided are as follows:
Kingdom
A cat is obviously unrelated to a tree. Each belongs to a different group completely! A
cat is an animal, and a tree is a plant, and thus the first of the taxonomic divisions
becomes obvious. This unit of division is called the Kingdom and is the largest unit
that one can use to group organisms together.
Kingdoms named are:
• Kingdom Animalia - (worms, molluscs, insects, mammals )
• Kingdom Plantae - (moss, ferns, grass, trees, flowers)
• Kingdom Fungi - (mushrooms, yeast, moulds)
• Kingdom Protista -(amoeba and other unicellular organisms)
• Kingdom Monera - (bacteria, the simplest form of life)
Q. INTO WHICH KINGDOM DOES A SPIDER FALL?
a) Animalia
b) Plantae
c) Fungi
d) Protista
e) Monera
Classification & Taxonomy
WildlifeCampus – Game Ranging Course 4
Phylum
When looking at our example of a cat we know that it is not very closely related to,
say, a crab. An obvious difference between a crab and a cat is that one (the cat) has
a backbone and the other does not. This is one criterion used to define the taxonomic
unit of the phylum.
Examples of the phyla examined in these courses are:
• Chordata (animals that have a spine)
• Arthropoda (animals with jointed legs and an exoskeleton)
• Mollusca (slugs, snails, bivalves)
Q. INTO WHICH PHYLUM DOES A SPIDER FALL?
a) Chordata
b) Arthropoda
c) Mollusca
Class
Now that we have figured out that a cat belongs to the Phylum Chordata, the
divisions can be made smaller still. For example, it is common knowledge that a fish
is only distantly related to a cat. Cats are therefore more closely related to those
animals that share with it a wide range of common features. These features include
endothermy, a body covered in hair, mammary glands etc. Animals that all share
these common characteristics are grouped in the Class Mammalia, the mammals.
Examples of other Classes of vertebrate animals are:
• Aves (birds)
• Pisces (fish)
• Reptilia (reptiles)
• Amphibia (amphibians)
[Link] WHICH CLASS DOES A CHAMELEON FALL?
a) Aves
b) Pisces
c) Reptilia
d) Amphibia
Classification & Taxonomy
WildlifeCampus – Game Ranging Course 5
Order
Within the class of animals known as mammals, we again find many with widely
differing characteristics. For example, although a cat and a cow share common
features, a cat is a carnivorous animal, whereas a cow is a herbivore. These kinds of
differences among mammals have led to the invention of the taxonomic unit called
the Order. Orders of animals all share common characteristics. Cats belong to the
Order Carnivora (carnivorous mammals), whereas cows belong to the order
Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates.)
Within the class of mammals, these are the Orders described:
• Insectivora (insect - eating animals)
• Macroscelidae (elephant shrews)
• Megachiroptera (fruit –eating bats)
• Microchiroptera (insect-eating bats)
• Primates (monkeys, ape, humans)
• Rodentia (rats, mice, porcupine, dormice, springhares and 1680 other species)
• Lagomorpha (rabbits and hares)
• Philodota (pangolin)
• Tubulidentata (aardvark)
• Carnivora (cats, dogs, foxes, hyaenas, mongoose, seals, otters, badgers
• Proboscidae (elephant)
• Hyracoidea (dassies, hyrax)
• Artiodactyla (even - toed ungulates)
• Perissodactyla (odd – toed ungulates)
• Cetacea (whales and dolphins)
• Sirenia (dugong)
[Link] WHICH ORDER DOES A DORMOUSE FALL?
a) Insectivora
b) Chiroptera
c) Primates
d) Rodentia
e) Lagomorpha
Classification & Taxonomy
WildlifeCampus – Game Ranging Course 6
Family
So far it has been found that the cats belong to the Order Carnivora. Using our
common sense, however, we can see that dogs too are carnivores, but they are
quite different from cats. It now becomes apparent that an even smaller unit of
classification is required.
This is the Family. A family of animals consists of a range of very similar animals
grouped together because of common characteristics. Cats are all grouped in the
family Felidae because they have a specific dental arrangement and they have
retractile claws (except the cheetah) among other characteristics.
Other examples of Families within the Order Carnivora are:
• Hyaenidae (hyaenas)
• Viverridae (mongooses, civets)
• Mustelidae (badgers, polecats)
• Canidae (dogs, jackals and foxes)
[Link] WHICH FAMILY DOES A SERVAL FALL?
a) Hyaenidae
b) Viverridae
c) Mustelidae
d) Canidae
e) Felidae
Genus
This group is the taxonomic equivalent of our surname. Within the family of
Felidae, we find that the members are all very similar but do have certain differences
that warrant another unit of classification. This unit is the Genus. Members of a
genus are all very similar to one another, but differ from members of other genera
(plural of genus) in some or other fundamental manner. For example, a leopard
is very similar in general characteristics to a domestic cat, but there are certain
differences that make it essential to group them separately.
Within the Family Felidae, there are the following genera:
• Felis (true cats)
• Acinonyx (cheetah)
• Panthera (lion, leopard)
• Leptailurus (serval)
• Caracal (caracal)
Note that genera are always written either in italics or underlined. The same is
true for species.
[Link] WHICH GENUS DOES A LEOPARD FALL?
Classification & Taxonomy
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a) Felis
b) Acinonyx
c) Panthera
d) Loxodonta
e) Apis
Taxonomists change their minds
Taxonomists frequently change their minds and re-name and re-classify species
all the time. This is usually at the Genus level, and almost always leads to
confusion among the people who use these names all the time. This is compounded
by the fact that most people work out of textbooks that very quickly become outdated.
A good case in point was this component. Soon after the launch of this course, an
alert student pointed out that the names of two species that I refer to have been
changed.
Serval
Caracal
Up until the late 1990'
s both species were classified together with the 'True cats' in
the Genus Felis. However they have both been re-classified as follows:
Felis serval is now Leptailurus serval
and Felis caracal is now Caracal caracal
Species
Within the genus, we also find an even smaller unit of taxonomy, this being the
Species. Species naming is based largely on reproductive criteria. One species
within a genus will very seldom mate with another species in the same genus.
This situation is largely true for animals living under natural conditions, but in captivity
hybridisation does occur. For example, it is well known that lions will freely mate
with tigers in captivity (the resultant hybrid is called a Liger).
Within species there are commonly regional differences between populations. If
these differences are noticeable enough, taxonomists will often designate them to a
subspecies classification. For example, there are several subspecies of zebra
throughout Africa.
All are essentially the same animals, but their geographical separation has caused
them to develop slightly different colouration and markings. Each of these
populations is given a subspecific name within the name of zebra.
Classification & Taxonomy
WildlifeCampus – Game Ranging Course 8
The most typical form of zebra will be designated the “true” form of the species.
Examples of sub-species include:
• Burchell’s Zebra Equus burchelli
• Mountain zebra, Equus zebra.
The Basic Rules of Nomenclature and Taxonomy.
1. When writing the generic (genus) name of an animal, it is always started with
a capital letter e.g. Panthera.
2. When writing the specific (species) name of an animal, it is never started with
a capital letter e.g. leo.
3. The scientific name of animals and plants is always underlined, or printed in
italics when written e.g. Panthera leo or Panthera leo.
Examples of Classification
Kingdom Animalia Animalia Animalia
Phylum Arthropod Arthropoda Chordata
Class Insecta Arachnida Mammalia
Order Diptera Acari Primates
Family Muscidae Ioxidae Hominidae
Genus Musca Rhipicephalus Homo
Species Musca Rhipicephalus Homo
domestica evertsi sapiens
Common name House Fly Red-legged Tick Human Being
Taxonomy, useful?
The main reason for you to understand how taxonomy works and why it is
used, is so that you will be able to distinguish the relationship or
relatedness between one organism and another. When correctly understood,
you may be able to deduce how the organism originated, along which
evolutionary lines it evolved and which other organisms share similar
characteristics.
Classification & Taxonomy
