Scientific Names of Animals and Plants
Know binomial nomenclature of plants and animals and know how to write their scientific names.
Our ecosystem comprises millions of species of plants and animals. Among these, several species are still unknown to us while zoologists were able to identify most of them. All recognized species on Earth are called by their two-part scientific name. This system is also called binomial nomenclature. Now the question arises, how zoologists were able to create the scientific names of animals and plants?
The scientific name of an animal or a plant is based on their relationship with different species. In the two-part nomenclature system, the first part is made up of a generic name and the second part is a specific name. For example, the scientific name of modern human beings is Homo sapiens.
Common Name | Human Beings |
Scientific Name | Homo sapiens |
Generic Name + specific name | Homo + sapiens |
Let us now study the scientific names of various animals, plants, and extinct organisms below. Also, know the process of writing a scientific name.
How to Write a Scientific Name?
Taking the example of the scientific name of human beings, the generic name is ‘Homo’ and the specific name is ‘sapiens’. Note that the first letter of the generic name is written in the upper case whereas the first letter of the specific name is always written in lowercase.
The concept of scientific names of animals and plants was introduced by Carl von Linne. With the help of a two-part nomenclature system, Linne wanted to depict the relationship of animals or plants with their different species.
Scientific Names of Animals
Below we have tabulated the list of scientific names of animals corresponding to their common names.
Common Names of Animals | Scientific Names of Animals |
African elephant | Loxodonta africana |
Albatross | Diomedeidae |
Arabian Camel | Camelus dromedarius |
Alpaca | Lama pacos |
Asian Elephant | Elephas maximus |
Black rat | Rattus rattus |
Buffalo | Bubalus bubalis |
Bulbul | Molpastes cafer |
Blackbuck | Antilope cervicapra |
Bison | Bos gaurus |
Cat | Felis domesticus |
Cheetah | Acinonyx jubatus |
Chinkara | Gazella bennettii |
Crocodile | Crocodylus palustris |
Common Myna | Acridotheres tristis |
Dog | Canis lupus familiaris |
Red Fox | Vulpes vulpes |
Gavial or Gharial | Gavialis gangeticus |
Giraffe | Giraffa camelopardalis |
Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus |
Horse | Equus caballus |
House crow | Corvus splendens |
Hippopotamus | Hippopotamus amphibius |
House Sparrow | Passer domesticus |
House Mouse | Mus musculus |
House Wall Lizard | Hemidactylus flaviviridis |
Indian Parrot | Psittacula eupatria |
Indian Python | Python molurus |
Indian Cobra | Naja naja |
Kashmir Stag or Hangul | Cervus canadensis hanglu |
Koel | Eudynamys scolopaceus |
King Cobra | Ophiophagus hannah |
Leopard/ Panther | Panthera pardus |
Lion | Panthera leo |
Nilgai | Boselaphus tragocamelus |
Peacock | Pavo cristatus |
Pigeon | Columba livia |
Rat snake | Ptyas mucosa |
Rabbit | Oryctolagus cuniculus |
Rhesus monkey | Macaca mulatta |
Rhinoceros | Rhinoceros unicornis |
Sea Snake | Hydrophiinae |
Siberian Crane | Grus leucogeranus |
Tiger | Panthera tigris |
Wild Boar | Sus scrofa |
Wild Ass | Equus africanus asinus |
Wolf | Canis lupus |
Zebra | Equus quagga |
Scientific Names of Plants
Check the list of scientific names of plants corresponding to their common names.
Common Names of Plants | Scientific Names of Plants |
Apple | Malus domestica |
Banana | Musa paradisiaca |
Banyan | Ficus benghalensis |
Black Gram | Plasoes mungo |
Black Pepper | Piper nigrum |
Brinjal | Solanum melongena |
Capsicum | Capsicum frutescens |
Clove | Syzygium aromaticum |
Carrot | Daucas carota |
Coriander | Coriandrum sativum |
Cotton | Gossypium herbaceum |
Curry plant | Murraya koenigii |
Cucumber | Cucumis sativus |
Drumstick | Moringa oleifera |
Garlic | Allium sativum |
Ginger | Zingiber officinale |
Guava | Psidium guajava |
Green Gram | Phaseolus aulicus |
Horse Gram | Dolichos biffoeus |
Henna | Lawsonia inermis |
Jowar | Sorghum vulgare |
Lemon | Citrus limonium |
Lettuce | Lactuca sativa |
Mango | Mangifera indica |
Maize | Zea mays |
Mint | Mentha arvensis |
Money Plant | Epipremnum aureum |
Neem | Azadirachta indica |
Onion | Allium cepa |
Orange | Citrus aurantium |
Pineapple | Ananus sativus |
Potato | Solanum tubersum |
Radish | Raphanus sativus |
Red Gram | Cojonus cgjan |
Sandalwood | Santalum album |
Spinach | Spinacia oleracea |
Tobacco | Nicotina tobaccum |
Tomato | Solanum lycopersicum |
Tulsi | Ocimum sanctum |
Turmeric | Curcuma longa |
Wheat | Triticum aestivum |
Watermelon | Citrullus vulgaris |
Scientific Names of Extinct Organisms
Below is the list of scientific names of extinct organisms.
Common Name of Extinct Organisms | Scientific Names of Extinct Organisms |
Great Auk | Pinguinus impennis |
Megalodon | Carcharocles megalodon |
Moa | Dinornithiformes |
Tasmanian Tiger | Thylacinus cynocephalus |
Passenger Pigeon | Ectopistes migratorius |
T-rex | Tyrannosaurus rex |
If you cannot find the scientific name of a plant or an animal you were looking for, you may check the frequently asked questions regarding the scientific names here.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the scientific name of Rose?
The Latin name or the scientific name of Rose is Rosa.
- What is the botanical name of Neem?
Azadirachta indica is the scientific name of Neem. ‘Azadirachta’ is its generic name and ‘indica’ is its specific name.
- What is the scientific name of Tulsi?
Ocimum tenuiflorum is the scientific name of Tulsi. The generic and specific names are ‘Ocimum’ and ‘tenuiflorum’ respectively.
- Write the scientific name of the Banyan tree.
Ficus benghalensis is the scientific name of the Banyan tree. These trees are considered among the largest trees in the world by canopy coverage.
- Write the scientific name of Bat.
The scientific name of Bat is Chiroptera, which is derived from a Greek word ‘hand wing’. The nomenclature has been done based on the fact that bats have four long fingers and a thumb, each connected with each other through a thin layer of skin.
- What is the scientific name of Marigold?
The scientific name of Marigold is Tagetes erceta.
- Write the scientific name of Hibiscus.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is the scientific name of Hibiscus or China Rose. It is classified under the species of tropical hibiscus, which is a flowering plant in the Hibisceace tribe.
- What is the scientific name of Sunflower?
The scientific name of Sunflower is Helianthus annuus. This species is native to Central America and North America.
- Write the botanical name of Mango and Banana.
The scientific name of Mango is Mangifera indica, which is a flowering plant found in the Indian subcontinent. There are hundreds of cultivable varieties of mangoes in various warm regions of the world.
The scientific name of Banana is Musa acuminata. Around 70 species of Musa are grown across the world.
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Mohit Chauhan
