Taxonomy Classifier — Kingdom to Species
Look up the complete 7-level taxonomic classification for 32 organisms across Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Bacteria, and Protista. Search by common name, scientific name, or kingdom. No signup, runs entirely in your browser.
Taxonomy Study Tips
Use the mnemonic
"King Philip Came Over For Good Soup" maps to Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. Or create your own — the important thing is that each level narrows the group, and each level below shares all the levels above.
Domain is above Kingdom
Modern classification adds Domain as the highest level: Bacteria (prokaryotes), Archaea (prokaryotes with different biochemistry), and Eukarya (all eukaryotes). Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, and Protista all fall under Eukarya.
Cladistics vs Linnaeus
Traditional Linnaean taxonomy groups by appearance; cladistics groups by evolutionary history (shared derived characteristics). Modern taxonomy uses both approaches plus DNA sequencing to build phylogenetic trees.
Reading a phylogenetic tree
Each branch point (node) represents a common ancestor. Species that share a more recent common ancestor are more closely related. Humans and chimpanzees share a more recent ancestor with each other than either does with gorillas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 7 levels of taxonomy?
From broadest to most specific: Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species. A mnemonic is "King Philip Came Over For Good Soup." Some systems add Domain above Kingdom (Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya).
What are the five kingdoms?
Animalia (multicellular, heterotrophic), Plantae (multicellular, autotrophic via photosynthesis), Fungi (multicellular, absorptive heterotrophs), Protista (mostly unicellular eukaryotes), and Monera (now split into Bacteria and Archaea in the six-kingdom system).
What is binomial nomenclature?
Binomial nomenclature is the two-part scientific naming system devised by Carl Linnaeus. Each species gets a genus name (capitalised) and a species name (lowercase), both italicised: e.g. Homo sapiens, Panthera leo.
Why do scientific names change over time?
As genetic and molecular data improve our understanding of evolutionary relationships, organisms are reclassified. DNA analysis has moved many organisms that look similar into separate groups and merged others that appear different into the same clade.
What is the difference between a species and a genus?
A genus is a group of closely related species that share a recent common ancestor. A species is a population of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Multiple species can share one genus (e.g. Panthera leo, Panthera tigris, Panthera pardus).
Is this data stored or sent anywhere?
No. The taxonomy database is embedded in the tool and all lookups run locally in your browser with no server communication.