Classifying Living Things
What is Classification?
Classification is the process of observing a living thing and deciding which group it belongs to, based on its
key characteristics.
Carl Linnaeus
• Carl Linnaeus was born in 1707 in Sweden. He was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist.
• Carl noticed that scientists from different places used different names for the same thing.
• Carl invented a simple system for classifying. His system is called the binomial nomenclature.
Binomial means ‘two names’ and scientists still use this system today.
• Examples of binomial nomenclature:
o Dog – Cannis familiaris
o Cat – Felis domestica
o Banana – Musa paradisiaca
o Rice plant – Oryza sativa
o Corn – Zea mays
The Classification System
• There are seven main taxonomic ranks:
o Kingdom
o Phylum or division
o Class
o Order
o Family
o Genus
o Species.
• There are million types of living things on this planet and we call each type a species.
• Scientists split kingdoms into smaller and smaller subgroups, until we get to the most detailed
classification.
• The binomial system helps us group similar living things based on their characteristics.
• All living things can be classified into large groups called kingdoms.
• There are 5 kingdoms: animal, plant, fungi, protista and monera.
• Two of the main kingdoms are animals and plants.
Classification using subgroups
• Animals can be classified into 2 main groups: vertebrates and invertebrates.
• Invertebrates are animals without a backbone.
• Vertebrates have an internal skeleton (endoskeleton) made of bones.
• The vertebrates can be classified into five groups mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish
Unusual Animals
• Sometimes scientists discover living things that are difficult to classify.
• In 2014 scientists discovered a mushroom-shaped animal living in the sea near Australia called
Dendrogramma.
• The Dendrogramma is a small part of a bigger animal that lives in deep sea waters.
• Scientists think that the Dendrogramma could have broken away from the main animal in an attack
and this is why it was found floating near the surface of the sea.
Microorganisms
• Microscopic living things are called microorganisms.
• Most microorganisms are not harmful. Some help to keep us healthy but some can make us sick, and
these are called germs.
• Germs are passed from one person to another through touch, sneezing and coughing.
• They are sometimes found on uncooked foods and dirty foods.
Mould
• Mould is another type of microorganism.
• Some moulds can be harmful and some moulds can be beneficial.
• Moulds often grow in wet places and can cause plant materials to decompose.
• Alexander Fleming, born in 1881 in Scotland, discovered a special type of mould that stops the growth
of harmful bacteria. We use this mould today to make a medicine called penicillin.
• Penicillin can kill lots of different bacteria (germs) that can make you ill. The discovery of penicillin
has helped save many lives.
Tooth Decay
• Human teeth include incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Children will usually get 20 primary
teeth. Most adult will get 32 permanent teeth.
• Plaque bacteria feed and grow in our mouths.
• If we do not remove them, by brushing, the acids they produce can damage our teeth. This is called
tooth decay.
• Tooth decay is caused when harmful bacteria digest the sugar in the food we eat.
• The more sugar we eat or drink the quicker the harmful bacteria can grow and damage our teeth.
• There is a lot we can do to keep our teeth healthy. Carefully cleaning teeth twice a day can stop plaque
bacteria from growing
