How Many Animals Are In Animal Kingdom

Nomenclature of Animals: The Consummate Guide Images

Click through all of our Classification of Animals: The Complete Guide images in the gallery.

What is Animal Classification?

Animal kingdom classification is an important organization for agreement how all living organisms are related. Based on the Linnaeus method, species are arranged grouped based on shared characteristics.

This system of animal kingdom classification was adult by Swedish botanist Carolus (Carl) Linnaeus in the 1700'south. The Linnaeus Method, also known every bit Linnaean Taxonomy, creates a hierarchy of groupings chosen taxa, as well every bit binomial nomenclature that gives each creature species a ii-word scientific name. This method of giving scientific names to animals is typically rooted in Latin past combining the genus and species. For example, humans are classified as homo sapiens while wolves are canis lupus.

The more than features that a group of animals share, the more specific that beast classification group is. Every species is defined based on 9 branching categories. The primary method of fauna classification is:

Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Suborder
Beast Families
Genus
Species

Animal classification chart showing groupings for an animal — Animal Nomenclature Chart for H2o snake (Nerodia Sipedon)
EreborMountain/Shutterstock.com

Animal Classification: The Half dozen Different Beast Kingdoms

All living organisms can be placed in one of six different creature kingdom classifications. The characteristics of each beast kingdom are:

Animal – A kingdom of complex multi-celled organisms that do not produce their own nutrient. This kingdom contains all living and extinct animals. Examples include elephants, whales, and humans.
Plants – Complex and multi cellular autotrophic organisms, meaning they produce their own food through photosynthesis. Examples include trees, flowers, and grass.
Fungi – Multi-celled organisms that practise not produce their ain nutrient, unlike plants. Examples include molds, mushrooms, and yeast.
Protista – Single celled organisms with more complexity than either eubacteria or archaebacteria. Examples include algae and amoebas
Eubacteria – Single celled organisms constitute in everything from yogurt to your intestines. This kingdom contains all leaner in the world not considered archaebacteria.
Archaebacteria – The oldest known living organisms. Unmarried-celled and found in hostile and extremely hot areas like thermal vents or hot springs

Animal Phylums Explained

After beast kingdom, animal species usually fall into one of seven different phylum, or phyla:

Porifera – Marine animals more usually known equally sponges and plant in every ocean on globe.
Cnidaria – By and large marine animals that include over 11,000 species. Examples include coral, jellyfish, and anemones
Platyhelminthes – Typically parasitic flatworms. Defective in whatsoever respiratory or circulatory systems, oxygen pass through their bodies instead in a process known every bit diffusion. Examples include tapeworms and flukes.
Annelida – More complex than Platyhelminthes, these are segmented and symmetrical worms containing a nervous system, respiratory arrangement, and sense organs. Examples include the common earthworm and leeches.
Mollusca – The second largest phylum past species count, and the largest marine phylum. Invertebrates with soft unsegmented bodies. It is estimated almost a quarter of marine life fall in this category. Examples include clams, mussels, and snails
Arthropoda – Invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton and segmented bodies. Contains insects, crustaceans, and arachnids. This is the largest phylum by species count. Examples include scorpions, collywobbles, and shrimp
Chordata – Vertebrates. Animals that develop a notochord, a cartilaginous skeletal rod that supports the body in embryo and tin often become a spine. Most animals we are familiar with, including dogs, horses, birds, and humans fall in to this category.

Animal Classes

The phylum grouping is then divided into even smaller groups, known as brute classes. The Chordata phylum splits in to these seven creature classes:

Agnatha (jaw-less fish)
Chrondrichtyes (cartilaginous fish)
Osteichthyes (bony fish)
Amphibia (amphibians)
Reptilia (reptiles)
Aves (birds)
Mammalia (mammals)

Different Animal Orders

Each class is divided into small groups again, known as orders. At that place is no universally accepted breakup for the grade Mammalia. Some outline as many as 26 dissimilar orders for the grade mammalia. Some of the most popular examples include:

Artiodactyla (fifty-fifty-toed hoofed animals) – Examples include moose, camels, and giraffes
Carnivora – Animals that specialize in mostly eating meat, but as well contains some omnivores and herbivores. Characterized as having nonretractable claws and long snouts. Examples include bears.
Rodentia (gnawing mammals) – Examples include beavers, mice, and squirrels
Chiropptera (bats) – The merely mammals that can fly. Examples include free-tailed and vampire bats
Cetacea (porpoises and whales) – Examples include killer whales, dolphins, and hump-backed whales
Primates – Includes prehensile easily and feet, commonly with opposable thumbs. Examples include gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans.

Animal Families

In every social club, there are different animate being families which all have very like features. The Carnivora club breaks into beast families that include Felidae (Cats), Canidae (Dogs), Ursidae (Bears), and Mustelidae (Weasels).

Animal Genus Types

Every beast family is farther divided into small groups known equally genus. Each genus contains animals that have very like features and are closely related. For example, the Felidae (Cat) family unit contains genus including Felis (small Cats and domestic Cats), Panthera (Tigers, Leopards, Jaguars and Lions) and Puma (Panthers and Cougars).

Animal Species Names

Each private species within the genus is named after its individual features and characteristics. The names of animals are based in Latin and consist of 2 words. The commencement word in the name of an animal will be the genus, and the 2d name indicates the specific species. This method of organizing scientific names of brute species was developed past Carl Linnaeus in the 1700's. Every bit an example, a dolphin species name is Delphinus Delphis. A red fox is Vulpes vulpes. This beast classification chart of a crimson fox is an instance of Linnaean Taxonomy