Rules and Resources

Rules:

• - Plants and other sessile organisms are not included if they have been planted, cultivated, or otherwise cared for by human hands or human means; However, wild offshoots of cultivated specimens are counted, as are specimens that are cultivated in the soil and then left to fend for themselves successfully for a time (ie. overgrown garden plants, unmaintained landscaping).


• - Animals and other motile organisms are not included if they are currently in deliberate non-natural captivity outside of their native (or introduced) zone(s). In the case of smaller organisms with faster life cycles such as bacteria, lab-grown specimens are similarly disqualified. Exceptions can be made for species that are globally domesticated (cattle) or extinct in the wild (Hawaiian Crow).


• - In all cases, images of whole, live specimens are strongly preferred; Exception can be made for detached parts and deceased specimens, given that the part or cadaver in question still composes most of the specimen's mass (ie. near-complete skeleton or carapace) or is clearly and undoubtedly indicative of species (ie. easily recognizable flower, fruit, or skull).


• - Within a given page, all subgroupings are ordered by least to most derived (most primitive, least "advanced" groups first) wherever possible. In the event of partial ID (eg. only down to Genus spp.), incomplete identifications will always be regarded as most derived, and in the event of missing data, species will be organized alphabetically.


• - Due to the size of the website and the fact that I am the only one working on it (and only when I want to), some rankings, IDs, etc. may be incomplete, outdated, or flawed. I will check for these occasionally, but if you catch one before I do, feel free to access me through the Contact Me page and let me know.

Resources:

• iNaturalist: Majority of specimen identification, main reference for taxonomic ranks and common names
• BugGuide: Higher-order identification of arthropods
• PlantNet: Higher-order identification of plants
• OneZoom's Tree of Life: Main reference for phylogenetic order
• Wikipedia: Main reference for definitions and facts
• Wiktionary: Main reference for scientific name etymology