Table of Contents
- Introduction to Binomial Nomenclature
- Scientific Names of Animals
- Scientific Names of Plants
- Scientific Names of Extinct Organisms
Introduction to Binomial Nomenclature
Binomial Nomenclature is a widely used, formal system of naming a species. The nomenclature consists of two names, both of which are derived from Latin. However, it can be derived from other languages too. Such a name is called a binomial name or a scientific name.
The generic name or the initial part of the name highlights the genus to which an organism belongs. The second part, or the specific name, identifies the exact species under which the organism falls, within the genus.
Furthermore, there are certain rules to be followed in binomial nomenclature, such as the generic name is always capitalized, while the specific name is not. Also, the entire name is to be italicised. We can understand this system better with an example:
| Modern Humans | |
| Generic Name | Homo |
| Specific Name | sapiens |
Scientific Names of Animals
Listed below are the scientific names of a few common animals.
Common Animals Names with Their Scientific Names |
|
| Ant | Formicidae |
| Arabian camel | Camelus dromedarius |
| African elephant | Loxodonta |
| Albatross | Diomedeidae |
| Alpaca | Vicugna pacos |
| Asian Elephant | Elephas maximus |
| Bat | Chiroptera |
| Bird | Aves |
| Brown Tree Snake | Boiga irregularis |
| Gaur | Bos gaurus |
| Goat | Capra aegagrus hircus |
| Bear | Ursidae |
| Polar bear | Ursus maritimus |
| Sun bear | Helarctos malayanus |
| Blackbuck | Antilope cervicapra |
| Black rat | Rattus rattus |
| Buffalo | Bubalus bubalis |
| Bulbul | Pycnonotidae |
| Butterfly | Rhopalocera |
| Cat | Felis catus |
| Cheetah | Acinonyx jubatus |
| Chinkara | Gazella bennettii |
| Cobra | Naja |
| Cockroach | Blattodea |
| Common Myna | Acridotheres tristis |
| Cow | Bos taurus |
| Crocodile | Crocodylus palustris |
| Deer | Cervidae |
| Dog | Canis lupus familiaris |
| Dolphin | Cetacea |
| Eagle | Accipitridae |
| Elephant | Elephantidae |
| fish | Vertebrata |
| Red fox | Vulpes vulpes |
| Gavial or Gharial | Gavialis gangeticus |
| Giraffe | Giraffa camelopardalis |
| Great horned owl | Bubo virginianus |
| Hen | Gallus gallus domesticus |
| Hippopotamus | Hippopotamus amphibius |
| Horse | Equus caballus |
| House crow | Corvus splendens |
| Housefly | Musca domestica |
| House mouse | Mus musculus |
| House sparrow | Passer domesticus |
| House wall Lizard | Hemidactylus flaviviridis |
| Indian Cobra | Naja naja |
| parrot | Psittaciformes |
| Indian Python | Python molurus |
| Kashmir stag or hangul | Cervus canadensis hanglu |
| King cobra | Ophiophagus hannah |
| Koel | Eudynamys scolopaceus |
| Leopard or panther | Panthera pardus |
| Monkey | Simiiformes (infraorder) |
| Mosquito | Culicidae |
| Lion | Panthera leo |
| Lizard | Squamata |
| Nilgai | Boselaphus tragocamelus |
| Peacock | Pavo cristatus |
| Pig | Sus |
| Prawn | Dendrobranchiata |
| Rabbit | Oryctolagus cuniculus |
| Rat | Rodentia |
| Rat snake | Ptyas mucosa |
| Rattle snake | Crotalinae |
| Rhesus monkey | Macaca mulatta |
| Rhinoceros | Rhinoceros unicornis |
| Sea snake | Hydrophiinae |
| Sheep | Ovis aries |
| Siberian crane | Grus leucogeranus |
| Snakehead | Channidae |
| Sparrow | Passer domesticus |
| Spider | Araneae |
| Starfish | Asteroidea |
| Tiger | Panthera tigris |
| Tiger Snake | Notechis scutatus |
| Wild Ass | Equus africanus asinus |
| Wild boar | Sus scrofa |
| Wolf | Canis lupus |
| Zebra | Equus quagga |
| Earthworm | Lumbricus |
| Grasshopper | Caelifera |
| Honey Bee | Apis |
| Pigeon | Columba livia |
| snake | Serpentes |
Scientific Names of Plants
Listed below are the scientific names of a few common plants.
Common Plant Names with Their Scientific Names |
|
| Apple | Malus domestica |
| Bamboo | Bamboosa aridinarifolia |
| Banana | Musa paradisiaca |
| Banyan | Ficus benghalensis |
| Black Gram | Plasoes mungo |
| Black Pepper | Piper nigrum |
| Brinjal | Solanum melongena |
| Capsicum | Capsicum frutescens |
| Carrot | Daucas carota |
| Clove | Syzygium aromaticum |
| Coriander | Coriandrum sativum |
| Cotton | Gossypium herbaceum |
| Cucumber | Cucumis sativus |
| Curry plant | Murraya koenigii |
| Drumstick | Moringa oleifera |
| Garlic | Allium sativum |
| Ginger | Zingiber officinale |
| Green Gram | Phaseolies aulicus |
| Guava | Psidium guajava |
| Henna | Lawsonia inermis |
| Horse Gram | Dolichos biffoeus |
| Jowar | Sorghum vulgare |
| Lemon | Citrus limonium |
| Lettuce | Lactuca sativa |
| Maize | Zea mays |
| Mango | Mangifera indica |
| Mint | Mentha arvensis |
| Money Plant | Epipremnum aureum |
| Neem | Azadirachta indica |
| Onion | Allium cepa |
| Orange | Citrus aurantium |
| Pineapple | Ananas comosus |
| Potato | Solanum tuberosum |
| Radish | Raphanus sativus |
| Red Gram | Cajanus cajan |
| Sandalwood | Santalum album |
| Spinach | Spinacia oleracea |
| Tobacco | Nicotina tobaccum |
| Tomato | Solanum lycopersicum |
| Tulsi | Ocimum sanctum |
| Turmeric | Curcuma longa |
| Watermelon | Citrullus vulgaris |
| Wheat | Triticum aestivum |
Scientific Names of Extinct Organisms
Listed are a few of the most popular and well-known extinct organisms along with their scientific names.
Famous Extinct Organisms with Their Scientific Names |
|
| Passenger pigeon | Ectopistes migratorius |
| Tasmanian tiger | Thylacinus cynocephalus |
| Moa | Dinornithiformes |
| T-Rex | Tyrannosaurus rex |
| Great auk | Pinguinus impennis |
| Megalodon | Carcharocles megalodon |
Uses Of Scientific Names
Scientific names or Binomial Nomenclature is a scientific process wherein entities such as plants, animals, and living entities are named and they are derived from Latin. It has many advantages such as:
- Classification and organisation – Entities are comprehensively organised which makes understanding and studying characteristics of particular entities easy and organized
- Precision and clarity – The names that are given are unique wherein each is given one scientific name, hence avoiding confusion
- The scientific names are universally recognized and standardized
- Even if species are transferred to another genus on the basis of new knowledge, the names are retained
- It helps understand the similarities and differences between various species that belong to the same genera that are helpful in building an association between the two.
Also Read: Photosynthesis
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1
How do you write a scientific name?
While writing a scientific name, one needs to be mindful of the first letter of the genus name, which always has to be written in upper case letters. The first letter of species descriptor is always written in lower case letters, never in upper case even if it is a proper noun.
Q2
Who came up with the concept of having scientific names?
The scientific naming system was proposed by Carl von Linne or Carl Linnaeus, in an attempt to explain the natural world by providing a two-part binomial nomenclature or scientific name.
Q3
What is trinomen? Give an example.
Trinomen is the trinomial name given to animals apart from the genus name and the species name. It is usually given to identify a subspecies. For example, the trinomen of the grey wolf subspecies, the Arctic wolf, is Canis lupus arctos.
Q4
What is the scientific name for modern humans?
Modern humans have been given the trinomial designation as Homo sapiens sapiens.
| Evolution |
| Concept of Species |
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