A Guide to the Dinosaurs of Colorado
On Dinosaur Classification
On Scientific Names
The Basics of Taxonomy
An Introduction to Cladistcs
Taxonomy of the Dinosaurs of Colorado
Cladogram of the Dinosaurs of Colorado
About the Dinosaurs of Colorado
Geological
Time Chart
On Scientific Names
People tend to use common names for common things, and rarely bother to learn or use the scientific name for those things -- like plants and animals -- that have them. Why say Canis familiaris when plain old "dog" will suffice? Yet peple do use many scientific names without being aware of doing so. From Azalia to Zinnia and Chrysanthemum to Camellia, many familiar plants around the house or garden are known only by their scientific "first" names. But why should one need a scientifc name when a perfectly good common name is available? Because common names are so often imprecise or misleading.The Common Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, is common over much of the United States, but here in eastern Colorado - where this is being written - it is rather rare. Much more "common" are the Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans) -- which is usually found near water -- and the Plains Garter Snake (Thamnophis radix) -- which is found in drier, more "terrestrial" habitats. And the "horney toad" isn't a toad at all -- nor any other kind of amphibian; it is actually a Horned Lizard, of the genus Phrynosoma.
Common names also tend to vary with locality. What we call a "Moose" in North America (Alces alces) is known as an Elk in Europe, while the North American "Elk" is a Wapiti (Cervus canadensis). For greater precision, we must use scientific names.
Every species of plant or animal known, whether living or extinct, is given a scientific name, as are certain trace fossils, such as footprints or eggs. The father of scientific nomenclature was the the Swedish botanist Karl von Linné (1707-1778). Because virtually all science in the 18th century was written in Latin, von Linné is better known by his Latinized name, Carolus Linnaeus.
Linnaeus created the system of scientific nomenclature still in use today, wherein every species is given two Latin names, a genus, or group name (plural 'genera'), and the species name. Because he wrote in Latin, these names are also known as Latin names. In formal Latin usage, the genus name is a noun and its first letter is always capitalized, while the species name is an adjective, which should agree in gender with the genus, and is written in lower case. Being "foreign" words, they should also be italicized.
Many closely related species may share the same genus name, but within the same genus, each species name must be unique. The same genus name cannot be used for any other plants or animals that are not closely related. Thus the full scientific name, genus and species, will always be different for every species. (Example: 'Tyrannosaurus' is a genus name, 'rex' is the species name, and 'Tyrannosaurus rex' is the full -- and unique -- scientific name.) This form of nomenclature is also known as the Binomial System of Classification.
Dinosaurs are always given full scientific names, but many dinosaurs are known from only one or a very few fossil remains, often very poorly preserved. Many times it is difficult to distinguish different dinosaur species, so most people only use their genus names. (Stegosaurus and Triceratops are only the familiar genus names.) When a species name is unknown, or one is not sure of the exact species, the abbreviation 'sp.' (plural: spp.) is placed after the genus name. ('Apatosaurus spp.' refers to all species in the genus Apatosaurus.)
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