Resource created by: Leeds Museums and Galleries | The Discovery Centre.
Curriculum Links (England)
This resource can be used to teach:
- KS3 Science - Scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding
- Pupils should develop their use of scientific vocabulary, including the use of scientific nomenclature. - KS3 Biology - Genetics and evolution
- differences between species
- the importance of maintaining biodiversity - KS4 Biology - Vocabulary, units, symbols and nomenclature
- developing their use of scientific vocabulary and nomenclature - KS4 Biology - Ecosystems
- the importance of biodiversity
- methods of identifying species and measuring distribution, frequency and abundance of species within a habitat - KS4 Biology - Evolution, inheritance and variation
- developments in biology affecting classification
Bite-size summary:
- Taxonomy uses the similarities and differences between species to put them in order.
- Taxonomy is important for studying biodiversity, ecology, conservation, pest management, disease control and other scientific work.
- Taxonomy allows us to better understand a species’ evolutionary history.
- Taxonomy is always being changed and updated.
- Taxonomy is the study of how species relate to each other. Nomenclature is the way species are named.
- Every species has a binomial name, made up of the genus and species. It always italicised with a capital letter for the genus and lower case for the species e.g. Tyto alba.
Discussion and Activity Ideas
Name your own new species:
- search for an image of an animal online
- put it into what you think is its correct Linnean classification (Wikipedia is really helpful with this)
- think of words that you would use to describe how the animal looks – striped, large nose, hairy etc. or invent which place it came from using the list below (these are actual scientific names):
- China = chinensis
- Japan = japonica
- New Zealand = novaezelandiae
- America = americanus
- California = californicus
- Scotland = scotia
- Yorkshire/London/Wales = invent your own… - Translate those into Latin and invent your own binomial. Make sure you write it correctly though.
- Use the downloadable quiz sheet to work out which animal species is which by translating its name into English.