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The Wonders of Naming Things: How Taxonomy Tells a Story

“Why do we need to study all of this?” Kingdom, Phylum, Division, Class, blablabla. It’s so hard to memorize it, not even a college student would study taxonomy.”

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It was the week of my seventh-grade mid-term. One of my classmates complained about the never-ending memory game of biology, specifically the Classification of Living Things chapter. Back then, I laughed. Because that chapter is indeed hard. I didn’t understand why I needed to learn and memorize some weird Latin names and their ranks. But who knew that years later, I would earn a degree in biology, interning at a research foundation, doing taxonomy for a living.

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According to Urry et al. (2017), taxonomy is the science of naming and classifying organisms. With the vast diversity of life on Earth, a specific naming system was initiated by Carolus Linnaeus in the 18th century, known as binomial nomenclature, or the two-named system. This system eliminates ambiguity when identifying specific organisms, becoming a universal language for biologists discussing living things [1].

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I was never really interested in taxonomy, not even when I was getting my degree. I once had a Taxonomy course that I barely passed. Still, species identification was a fundamental part of my final research project, so I must endure the process. But my view on the field started to change during my internship. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to learn alongside passionate professionals in this field. As I explored the subject even deeper, I found a hidden interest in how species are classified and how they relate to each other.

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A part of my internship involves learning how to identify marine invertebrates. Some I was familiar with but had never seen in person, while others were completely new. Each time I was given several organisms, I had to describe their appearance, highlighting any characteristics that distinguished them from one another. Sometimes, I even observed the arrangement of their guts, noting all the nooks and crannies I could find. I also needed to know where each organism was found, what it eats, its behavior patterns, and whether they are related, among other things. All that extensive research just to identify one organism. This process was challenging, but it taught me the value of patience and precision in the work. More importantly, it opened my eyes to the fact that each Latin name represents the life it embodies.

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Not only does it tell the life that it has, but every name reflects a unique journey, telling us a story of how it came to be. It could be a tribute to loved ones, a pop culture reference, or many more. From my point of view, there is something so poetic about scientists having the liberty to name a new organism with something so dear to them. Like the sea slug Pacifia goddardi (formerly Flabellina goddardi), which was named by Terrence Gosliner, a sea slug taxonomist, after his fellow taxonomist colleague and friend, Jeff Goddard [2, 3]. Or the amphipod Leucothoe eltoni, which was named after musician Sir Elton John, referencing the species' large feeding legs to his large boots in the film Tommy (1975) [4].  Eventually, these names celebrate life, both the species and the scientists who named them, and highlight how science is always connected with creativity and culture that makes us human.

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Learning about taxonomy deepened my appreciation for Earth's incredible biodiversity. With millions more yet to be named, millions of stories yet to be told, taxonomy serves not only as a “naming” science, but as a reminder that all life on Earth is connected. Understanding this gives us the perspective to help protect these lives. As we keep identifying and understanding the living things around us, we’re not just classifying organisms, but rather recognizing their existence and ensuring their stories are never forgotten.

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References

[1] Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V., Reece, J. B., & Campbell, N. A. (2017). Campbell biology (11th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.

[2] Gosliner, T. M. (2010). Two new species of nudibranch mollusks from the coast of California. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 61(10), 623–631.

[3] WoRMS Editorial Board. (2025). World Register of Marine Species. Pacifia goddardi (Gosliner, 2010). https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1047761

[4] Thomas, J. D. (2015). Leucothoe eltoni sp. n., a new species of commensal leucothoid amphipod from coral reefs in Raja Ampat, Indonesia (Crustacea, Amphipoda). ZooKeys, 518, 51–66.