How classification works
Follow the ranks scientists use to organize life, from domain and kingdom to genus and species.
Explore taxonomyEducational Content Foundation
Explore the living world.
Start with classification, move through the Animal Kingdom, and meet representative species whose stories reveal how life is connected.
Three starting points
Choose the path that matches your curiosity.
Each path connects scientific organization with memorable stories and real ecological relationships.
Inside the Animal Kingdom
Compare major invertebrate lineages and the vertebrate learning pathways within Chordata.
Explore AnimaliaRepresentative species
Meet a starter collection selected to show different body plans, habitats, adaptations, and connections.
Open the species libraryFrom broad to specific
Classification is a map, not a list to memorize.
The same organism can be understood at several scales. Follow the Florida manatee from the broadest shared group to its scientific identity.
- DomainEukaryota
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderSirenia
- FamilyTrichechidae
- GenusTrichechus
- SpeciesTrichechus manatus
Starter collection
One kingdom. Many ways of being an animal.
These examples introduce different lineages and ecological roles without treating familiar vertebrates as the whole story.
Porifera
Giant barrel sponge
Xestospongia muta · Water filtration
Cnidaria
Staghorn coral
Acropora cervicornis · Reef habitat
Mollusca
Common octopus
Octopus vulgaris · Coastal food webs
Arthropoda
Monarch butterfly
Danaus plexippus · Migration and flowering plants
Echinodermata
Common sea star
Asterias rubens · Seafloor food webs
Mammalia
Florida manatee
Trichechus manatus latirostris · Water, plants, and warm refuges
Two levels of learning
Discover first. Go deeper when ready.
Clear, visual, and approachable
Common name, habitat, defining adaptation, ecological connection, and one question to spark curiosity.
Scientific context and sources
Full classification, ecology, pressures, conservation context, review dates, and source attribution.
Scientific foundation: the taxonomic structure in this version uses the Catalogue of Life eXtended Release 2026-06-19 (COL26.6 XR) (opens in a new tab). Biodiversity-data interpretation follows GBIF documentation (opens in a new tab). Taxonomy changes as evidence develops, so every profile must be reviewed before final publication.