Describe the format of a scientific name and explain why biologists use scientific names?

Answer 1

Scientific names are binomial in the sense that they consist of two words, the genus and the species. Take the scientific name of an African penguin for example;

Spheniscus demersus

The scientific name must always be underlined or italicised. It is mainly in latin, greek or a mixture of the two. The first word is the genus and the second the species. The genus must always be capitalised and the species must never have a capital.

Scientific names remove confusion (usually)

The puma also has the name painter, mountain lion and catamount, but its scientific name of Puma concolor remains relatively constant.

Scientific names show relations (evolutionary) among species more accurately and can group related species together. For example, there are two species of chimpanzee. Both are similar so they are placed in the same genus, Pan. To show they are separate species, their species names are different.

Common chimpanzee Pan troglodytes
Pygmy chimpanzee Pan paniscus

Obviously, a gorilla is closely related to a chimpanzee, but not that closely related. Thus gorillas are placed in a separate genus, the genus Gorilla.

As you can see, scientific names clarify the relationships a little more clearly. Imagine a situation of calling all these species apes. The scientific names are clearer aren't they?

A better example would be among ants, where the layperson usually cannot tell one ant from another. All are dismissed as ants, but clearly identified by their scientific names, one can see which is related to which, by grouping them into genera such as Formica or Atta or Plectroctena or Streblognathus. And believe me, there are many more genera of ant than just these few.