| Here you see how the gray wolf is classified at different levels of the classification system. As you go down the levels, the groups get smaller and have less variety of animals. |
| Animal Kingdom All these organisms are animals. |
| Phylum Chordata All these animals have spinal cords. |
| Class Mammalia All these animals give milk to their young. |
| Order Carnivora All these animals eat meat. |
| Family Canidae All these animals have dog-like features. |
| Genus Canis This level includes all dogs, coyotes, and wolves. |
| Species lupus This level names a particular kind of wolf, the gray wolf. |
1. |
Describe one advantage of having a classification system. |
2. |
What kinds of observations did scientists use at first to group organisms into a phylum or class? |
3. |
A museum wants to make one display for each of the 6 kingdoms. In each display, 17 organisms will be shown. How many organisms will be shown in all? |