Do you ever wonder why we use those fancy Latin names for animals and plants? Well, it's thanks to the binomial system for naming organisms, and it's like having a precise address for every living thing on Earth!

• It's a two-word system used by biologists worldwide to name species.
• For instance, the beautiful twinflower is named Linnaea borealis.
• First word: Genus (like a family name) ➔ Linnaea
• Second word: Species (like a personal name) ➔ borealis

• Genus Name: Starts with an uppercase letter, just like a proper noun.
  • Example: For humans, our genus is Homo.
• Species Name: Always starts with a lowercase letter.
  • Example: Our species name is sapiens.
• Font Fun: In printed text, these names are italicized.
  • Example: The lion is written as Panthera leo.
• Shortcuts Allowed: After using the full name, you can abbreviate the genus to just the initial letter.
  • Example: Instead of writing Panthera leo again, just use P. leo.