CARL LINNAEUS Father of Classification and Taxonomy ( )

Carl Linnaeus – Background  He was born on May 23, 1707, in Sweden.  His father was a gardener and a pastor.  His father taught him Latin, religion, and geography at home until he was seven years old. Carl’s birthplace

Carl Linnaeus – Finding his Mission  Carl showed a deep love of plants and a fascination with their names from a very early age.

 He attended college to study to become a doctor.  Learning about plants was part of learning to be a doctor.  He liked studying plants more than studying medicine. Carl Linnaeus – Finding his Mission

The Beginnings of an Organized Classification of Living Things  From , Carl was sent on several journeys throughout Sweden and northern Europe to find and classify plants and animals.

Question for you….  Can you find Europe on this world map?

The Beginnings of an Organized Classification of Living Things  As he collected and classified animals, plants and minerals, Carl made careful records. He published several books to share his learning.

Classification of Animals  As a result of doing a great deal of observation and recording, Carl Linnaeus sorted his findings and created a way to organize plants and a way to organize animals for others to study and to discuss them.  What follows are his original ideas on classifying animals.

Original Taxonomy of Animals  Linnaeus created 6 Categories:  Classis 1. MAMMALIA What is that? (Mammals)MAMMALIA  Classis 2. AVES What is that? (Birds)AVES  Classis 3. AMPHIBIA What is that? (Amphibians)AMPHIBIA  Classis 4. PISCES What is that? (Fish)PISCES  Classis 5. INSECTA What is that? (Insects)INSECTA  Classis 6. VERMES What is that? (Everything else)VERMES

Original Taxonomy of Animals  Linnaeus created 6 Categories:  Classis 1. MAMMALIAMAMMALIA  Classis 2. AVESAVES  Classis 3. AMPHIBIAAMPHIBIA  Classis 4. PISCESPISCES  Classis 5. INSECTAINSECTA  Classis 6. VERMESVERMES What is that? (Mammals) (Birds) (Amphibians) (Fish) (Insects) (Everything else)

 Linnaeus then took the general categories of animals and broke them down into even smaller categories like this:

Taxonomy of Animals  Kingdom  Phylum Class Order Family  Genus  Species

Taxonomy of Animals  Now let’s look at how this taxonomy (organized arrangement) works with one animal you are familiar with.

Taxonomy of Animals  Kingdom - Animal  Phylum - Chordata (vertebrate) Class – Mammalia (mammal) Order – Carnivora (meat eater) Family - Canidae ( dogs, wolves, foxes, etc.)  Genus – Canis (7 – 10 species of a family that includes dogs, wolves, dingos, and coyotes)  Species - C. lupus (wolves and dogs)

Taxonomy of Animals The official name for a wolf or dog is C. lupus.

Many people were greatly influenced by the work of Carl Linnaeus. Here are some of their comments:

Tributes from other great minds: “ Tell him I know no greater man on earth.” ~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Tributes from other great minds: " With the exception of Shakespeare and Spinoza, I know no one among the no longer living who has influenced me more strongly.“ ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Carl Linnaeus was known by others, and he also was a man who knew God. “The Earth's creation is the glory of God, as seen from the works of Nature by Man alone. The study of nature would reveal the Divine Order of God's creation, and it was the naturalist's task to construct a ‘natural classification’ that would reveal this Order in the universe.” ~ Carl Linneaus

What Carl Linneaus Left Behind  In 1783 Carl died and Sara, his wife, inherited his life’s collections which included:  14,000 plants,  3,198 insects,  1,564 shells,  about 3,000 letters,  and 1,600 books,  and a great deal of new knowledge about plants and animals.

Carl Linnaeus ( ) His system for naming, ranking, and classifying organisms is still in wide use today, with a few changes. His ideas on classification have influenced generations of biologists during and after his own lifetime. All photos and information from Wikipedia and Microsoft Office