Glossary

Order

A rank below class. Carnivora, the order of cats, dogs, bears and their relatives, is one.

Orders gather related families. Their scientific names often end in -formes for birds and fish, but there is no single rule.

Related terms

Rank: A level in the classification hierarchy, such as genus, family or order.
Class: A rank below phylum. Mammals (Mammalia) and birds (Aves) are classes.
Family: A rank below order, gathering related genera. Animal family names end in -idae.