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Species

Species

Species are able to reproduce, and is also the most specific major classification in biology. Living things that are very alike are still considered separate species if they cannot mate and produce fertile offspring.

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  4. Are there different species of humans?

    "Humans" are a species. ChaCha!

  5. What is variation among members of different species called?

    Biodiversity properly refers to the variety of living organis...

Top Questions Asked on ChaCha Mobile for Species

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  3. What is the most heaviest species of wood?

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  1. What are pioneer species?

    Pioneer species are organisms,usually plants,that colonize ba...

  2. How many deer species of deer are there?

    There are 45 known species of deer. I wonder how many species...

  3. What is an invasive species?

    An invasive species is a species that destroys the habitat th...

  4. What are keystone species?

    They're species whose presence and role within an ecosystem h...

  5. What animal species is arthur?

    Arthur Read, the series' titular character, is an anthropomor...

  1. What are pioneer species?

    Pioneer species are organisms,usually plants,that colonize ba...

  2. What is the most heaviest species of wood?

    Hickory is one of the heaviest and hardest woods available. P...

  3. What are the species of crappie?

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About Species

A species (classification) is a living thing that is different from all other things. All the members of a species are basically identical (if a species reproduces, resulting in more individuals with the same distinct features as itself). In referring to a species, the genus (generic) and species (specific) name are usually both used.

The species name allows people to be precise when they talk about a specific animal. The science of organizing and naming all the species of life is called taxonomy.

The difference between species may be a physical characteristic or a unique physiological trait. Traditionally, living things that are very alike are considered separate species if they cannot mate and produce fertile offspring.

Today, significant differences in DNA revealed by genetic studies are often used to establish whether similar organisms belong to the same or different species.
In order to establish a new species, a scientist must study it, name it, publish a precise description, and establish that it is significantly different from every other known species.
Species names are often derived from the name of the person who discovered them. Species may also be named after famous people, people associated with the person choosing the name, or places. Some come from Greek words, or simply from the imagination.

Sometimes Latin names are followed by a name that is not italicized, and a year. This is the name of the person who named the species and the year in which it was named.

No one knows how many species exist today. Approximately 1.8 million species of animals and plants have been identified (excluding the diverse kingdoms of fungi, bacteria, and other unicellular organisms), but some biologists estimate there may be more than 150 million species of living things on the earth.
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