Who Is Alces alces?

Scientists around the world use a two-part naming
system to identify living things. You can learn it too.

What does a wildlife biologist call a beaver? Castor canadensis.

What does a botanist call a red pine? Pinus resinosa.

Scientists use two names for every known animal, plant, fungus, protozoan, and bacterium. These scientific names most often come from Latin. The first name tells you which genus a creature belongs to. The second name identifies its species. In the 1700s, a Swedish botanist named Carl Linnaeus set up this universal naming system. Scientists around the world now use it to describe living things, including you (Homo sapiens).

To read this entire Young Naturalists story, download the PDF below.

			Read "Mirrors of Minnesota" Sep.–Oct. 2003 to learn more about the state symbols included in Who Is Alces alces?
Full-color PDF of "Who Is Alces alces?"	Teachers Guide for "Who Is Alces alces?"