Human Classification
Levels of Classification Kingdom Phylum (or Division for plants) Class Order Family Genus Species
How can you remember all that? Use a mnemonic! What’s the sentence for remembering the order of planets? My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos What’s the sentence for remembering the order of operations? Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally You try making a sentence to help remember the levels of classification! (take two minutes)
Kings Play Chess On Funny Green Stools
Kingdom: Animal (ia)
Phylum: Chordate (a)
subPhylum: Vertebrate (a)
Class: Mammal(ia)
Order: Primate(a)
Primates vary widely in size 1 oz Pygmy Mouse Lemur 440 lb Mountain Gorilla
Family: Hominid (ae) Australopithecus africanus (appeared 2.5 mya and thought to be one of our direct ancestors)
Family: Hominid (ae) Australopithecus afarensis (thought to be one of our direct ancestors) Australopithecus afarensis (thought to be a direct human ancestor)
Genus: Homo Homo heidelbergensis (appeared 700,000 years ago)
Genus: Homo Homo heidelbergensis (appeared 700,000 years ago) Homo neanderthalis (disappeared 24,000 years ago)l
Genus: Homo Homo heidelbergensis (appeared 700,000 years ago) Homo erectus (appeared 1.8 mya, used stone tools, brain almost 2/3 the size of ours)
Species: sapien Homo heidelbergensis (appeared 700,000 years ago) Homo erectus (appeared 1.8 mya, used stone tools, brain almost 2/3 the size of ours)Homo Scientific name: Homo sapiens
Which of these species are most closely related? Lepus townsendii Lepus californicus Agaricus californicus
Lepus californicus
Agaricus californicus
Lepus townsendii
The rabbits are most closely related! The species names are like people’s first names. Just because they’re the same doesn’t at all mean they’re related. The genus name of an animal is like the last name of a person. Two people who have the same last name are probably related. The way names are listed is similar to many Asian cultures: – Family name first – Personal name second
The genus and species name together make the scientific name The genus name is capitalized The species name should be not capitalized Both names should be either underlined or in italics – ex: Canis lupus (dogs and wolves)
The scientific name is the same all over the world, in any language.