The system of taxonomic classification:
Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species, variety.
Plants and animals are usually classified according to their body structure.
Humans are in the animal kingdom, chordate phylum, mammal class, primate order, homo genus, homo sapiens species.
Kingdoms are: plants, animals, monera (bacteria, algae), protista (amoebas, protozoa), and fungi.
Phyla (frequently called divisions in the plant kingdom) include the arthropods, the mollusks, and the chordates (animals which have a central nerve, such as the spinal column; humans are in the subphylum vertebrates).
Classes include mammals, insects, and reptiles.
Orders include carnivores (dogs and cats), and primates (humans, monkeys and apes).
Families include homonides (humans), and felidae (lions, tigers, house cats)
Genus further breaks down families, so that wolves and dogs are in the same genus (canis).
Species are the smallest standard unit of biological classification, consisting of closely related, interbreeding living things. Species can be divided into varieties, races, breeds, or subspecies.
Here is a site devoted to curiousities of biological nomenclature, including puns and wordplay.
http://www.best.com/~atta/taxonomy.html
