8 



COLLEGE ZOOLOGY 



that make up the subphylum Vertebra ta or 

 animals possessing vertebral columns. The 

 subphylum Vertebrata, together with three 

 other subphyla usually called primitive chor- 

 dates, are grouped together in the phylum 

 Chordata, which contains animals possess- 

 ing at some time in their existence an in- 

 ternal rodlike support known as the note- 

 chord (Fig. 207, p. 324). 



Classification of a species 



The scientific name of any animal con- 

 sists of the terms used to designate the genus 

 and species; the first letter of the genus 

 name is a capital, but the first letter of the 

 species name is always a small letter. The 

 genus and species names are commonly 

 followed by the name of the zoologist who 

 wrote the first valid description of that par- 

 ticular species. The scientific name of the 

 timber wolf is therefore written Canis lupus 

 Linnaeus. 



The complete classification of the timber 

 wolf may be shown in outline in the follow- 

 ing manner: 



Animal Kingdom (consists of all known ani- 

 mals) 

 Phylum Chordata (animals possessing noto- 

 chords ) 

 Subphylum Vertebrata (chordates with 

 vertebral columns) 

 Class Mammalia (vertebrates with 

 mammary glands) 

 Order Carnivora (mammals that eat 

 flesh) 

 Family Canidae (carnivores that 

 walk on their toes) 

 Genus Canis (Canidae with 

 round pupils in their eyes) 

 Species lupus [lupus means 

 wolf) Fig. 368 



The classification of man, which is the 

 same as that of the wolf up to the order, is 

 as follows: 



Phylum Chordata 



Subphylum Vertebrata 

 Class Mammalia 



Order Primates (possess four limbs, each 



with five digits which usually end 



in nails, not claws) 



Family Hominidae (As compared 



with apes, the brain is larger; the 



face more vertical; lower jaw less 



protruding; and the teeth more 



evenly sized. The hair is long on 



the head, but scant on the rest 



of the body. The legs are longer 



than the arms; the thumbs are 



well developed; and the big toe 



is not opposed to the other 



digits.) 



Genus Homo (man) 



Species sapiens (means reason- 

 ing) . Thus it will be seen that 

 the scientific name of man is 

 Homo sapiens Linnaeus. 



Latin or Latinized names are used for 

 genera and species. The genus name is a 

 noun, and the species name is usually an 

 adjective. Intermediate terms such as sub- 

 order, subfamily, subgenus, and subspecies 

 are also in use. The typical grizzly bear, for 

 example, is named Ursus horribilis, but large 

 specimens with long ears occur in central 

 California that belong to the subspecies 

 Ursus horribilis californicus. 



What is a species? 



The exact meaning of the term species is 

 rather difficult to explain. A species consists 

 of a group of animals that mate with one 

 another and that resemble one another 

 more than they do individuals in other 

 groups of animals. All members of a species 

 possess certain characteristics in common, 

 but differ from one another in various re- 

 spects. For example, all wolves of the species 

 Canis lupus (timber wolves) are large, 

 with a body about 55 inches long, a tail 

 about 10 inches long, and a weight of 

 about 100 pounds. Their color is gray, vary- 

 ing to blackish on the back and tawny on 

 the belly. Timber wolves vary among them- 

 selves: in the density of their color (some 

 are lighter than others), in the length of 

 the body and tail, in weight, and in other 



