Wikispecies facts for kids
Wikispecies is a special online project. It's like a sister to Wikipedia. It is a wiki, which means anyone can help add to it. The Wikimedia Foundation supports it.
Wikispecies is a free list of all the different kinds of living things, called species. Its goal is to make a complete list of every plant, animal, fungus, and other life form on Earth. It shows how species are grouped together. This grouping is called taxonomy. It also shows how these groups are related to each other. People sometimes call it the "directory of life."
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Who Uses Wikispecies?
Wikispecies is mainly for scientists and experts. It is not really for everyday people. The people who write for Wikispecies do not need to show their school degrees. But they do need to show they know a lot about the topic.
The project started in August 2004. Scientists from all over the world were asked to help. By April 2005, it became a good directory. It lists species using a system called Linnaean taxonomy. This system helps classify living things. It also has links to Wikipedia articles about specific species. These links are available in many different languages.
Why is Latin Used?
Articles in Wikispecies use Latin names for species. This is because scientists around the world use Latin. It does not matter what language they speak. Latin names help everyone understand which living thing is being discussed.
Each article also tells you what the living thing is called in other languages. This is for common names. Still, most of Wikispecies is in English. Its main page is in English, and it is managed in English.
How it Helps Wikipedia
You might have seen "taxoboxes" on Wikipedia pages. These are special boxes that show a species' classification. These taxoboxes get their information from Wikispecies. So, Wikipedia users can go to Wikispecies for more details.
How Big is Wikispecies?
As of July 1, 2014, Wikispecies had a lot of articles. It had over 400,000 pages about different species.
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