The ladder of taxa
In a natural classification, organisms are arranged into a hierarchy. That is, they are divided among levels of classification, or taxa (singular: taxon).
From the domain at the top down to the species at the bottom, each further level makes the group smaller and its members more alike.
| Level | Modern human | Coconut |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Eukarya | Eukarya |
| Kingdom | Animalia | Plantae |
| Phylum / division | Chordata (phylum) | Magnoliophyta (division) |
| Class | Mammalia | Liliopsida |
| Order | Primates | Arecales |
| Family | Hominidae | Arecaceae |
| Genus | Homo | Cocos |
| Species | Homo sapiens | Cocos nucifera |
Animals use the word "phylum" for this level and plants use "division". The level is the same one; only the word differs.
What happens as you go down
A human and a coconut palm share the domain — and nothing below it. Every further level down makes the group smaller and its members more alike, until the species, which is the smallest group of all.