Genus vs. Species — What's the Difference?

A group of species with similar characteristics.

The basic unit in taxonomy, representing interbreeding organisms.

A rank in the classification of organisms, grouping together related species.

A group of living organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

A taxonomic rank below family and above species.

A distinct group in terms of genetics, morphology, or other characteristics.

Genus (plural genera) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family.

A categorization of organisms based on shared genetic traits.

The first part of the binomial name of an organism.

In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction.

A principal taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family, and is denoted by a capitalized Latin name, e.g. Leo.

A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. The species is the principal natural taxonomic unit, ranking below a genus and denoted by a Latin binomial, e.g. Homo sapiens.

(Biology) A taxonomic category ranking below a family and above a species and designating a group of species that are presumed to be closely related and usually exhibit similar characteristics. In a scientific name, the genus name is capitalized and italicized, for example, Ovis for sheep and related animals.

A kind or sort

(Logic) A class of objects divided into subordinate species having certain common attributes.

The visible form of each of the elements of consecrated bread and wine in the Eucharist.

A class, group, or kind with common attributes.

(Biology) A group of closely related organisms that are very similar to each other and are usually capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. The species is the fundamental category of taxonomic classification, ranking below a genus or subgenus. Species names are represented in binomial nomenclature by an uncapitalized Latin adjective or noun following a capitalized genus name, as in Ananas comosus, the pineapple, and Equus caballus, the horse.

A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below family (Lat. familia) and above species.

(Logic) A class of individuals or objects grouped by virtue of their common attributes and assigned a common name; a division subordinate to a genus.

A taxon at this rank.

(Chemistry) A set of atoms, molecules, ions, or other chemical entities that possess the same distinct characteristics with respect to a chemical process or measurement.

A group with common attributes.

A kind, variety, or type

A natural number representing any of several related measures of the complexity of a given manifold or graph.

The outward appearance or form of the Eucharistic elements that is retained after their consecration.

(semantics) Within a definition, a broader category of the defined concept.

Either of the consecrated elements of the Eucharist.

(music) A type of tuning or intonation, used within an Ancient Greek tetrachord.

Type or kind. race.}}

A class of objects divided into several subordinate species; a class more extensive than a species; a precisely defined and exactly divided class; one of the five predicable conceptions, or sorts of terms.

A group of plants or animals having similar appearance.

An assemblage of species, having so many fundamental points of structure in common, that in the judgment of competent scientists, they may receive a common substantive name. A genus is not necessarily the lowest definable group of species, for it may often be divided into several subgenera. In proportion as its definition is exact, it is natural genus; if its definition can not be made clear, it is more or less an artificial genus.

A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below genus; a taxon at that rank.

A general kind of something;

A particular type of atom, molecule, ion or other particle.

(biology) taxonomic group containing one or more species

(mineralogy) A mineral with a unique chemical formula whose crystals belong to a unique crystallographic system.

A way to categorize organisms based on evolutionary relationships.

An image, an appearance, a spectacle.

(obsolete) The image of something cast on a surface, or reflected from a surface, or refracted through a lens or telescope; a reflection.

Visible or perceptible presentation; appearance; something perceived.

(Christianity) Either of the two elements of the Eucharist after they have been consecrated.

Coin, or coined silver, gold, or other metal, used as a circulating medium; specie.

A component part of compound medicine; a simple.

Plural of specie

Visible or sensible presentation; appearance; a sensible percept received by the imagination; an image.

A group of individuals agreeing in common attributes, and designated by a common name; a conception subordinated to another conception, called a genus, or generic conception, from which it differs in containing or comprehending more attributes, and extending to fewer individuals. Thus, man is a species, under animal as a genus; and man, in its turn, may be regarded as a genus with respect to European, American, or the like, as species.

In science, a more or less permanent group of existing things or beings, associated according to attributes, or properties determined by scientific observation.

A sort; a kind; a variety; as, a species of low cunning; a species of generosity; a species of cloth.

Coin, or coined silver, gold, or other metal, used as a circulating medium; specie.

A public spectacle or exhibition.

A component part of a compound medicine; a simple.

The form or shape given to materials; fashion or shape; form; figure.

(biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed

A specific kind of something;

The second part of the binomial name of an organism.

Organisms are named using binomial nomenclature, with the genus capitalized followed by the species in lowercase.

A genus is a rank in taxonomy that groups together related species based on shared characteristics.

No, in binomial nomenclature, the species name is always written in lowercase.

Yes, a genus can comprise multiple species that share certain similarities.

No, a species belongs to only one genus.

The rank above genus is "family."

While some species within the same genus can interbreed, the offspring (like mules) are often infertile.

No, species within the same genus can vary, but they share certain structural or evolutionary traits.

The primary factor is the ability of individuals to interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

A species is the most specific level of classification, representing organisms that can interbreed.

A new species is typically defined based on genetic differences and the inability to interbreed with other species.

No, as scientific knowledge evolves, classifications can change based on new findings.

It's a convention in binomial nomenclature to differentiate the genus from the species.

Extinct organisms are also named using binomial nomenclature, relying on fossil records and evolutionary analysis.

A genus can contain one to many species, depending on similarities and evolutionary relationships.