Biological classification organizes living things into hierarchical groups to facilitate identification and study. The primary ranks in this system, from broadest to most specific, are:
- Domain
- Kingdom
- Phylum
- Class
- Order
- Family
- Genus
- Species
To explain further, the Domain is the highest taxonomic rank and includes three categories: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Each domain is divided into Kingdoms, which further break down into Phyla, then Classes, and so on down to Species, which is the most specific classification. For example, humans are classified as follows:
- Domain: Eukarya
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Primates
- Family: Hominidae
- Genus: Homo
- Species: Homo sapiens
This hierarchy helps scientists communicate about organisms and understand their relationships, evolution, and shared characteristics.