Who was Linnaeus?

Carl Linnaeus is famous for his work in taxonomy: the science of identifying, naming and classifying organisms (plants, animals, bacteria, fungi and more).

Click on the tiles below to find out more about who Linnaeus was, why he remains an important figure today, and what work the Linnean Society and Linnean Learning are doing in his name.

The Special Species Game

Arachna rhodobrachi
Arachna rhodobrachi

Every species has its own unique scientific name that is chosen by the individual or team that discovers it. The name usually reflects something about the species itself.

Carl Linnaeus came up with the 'binomial' naming system, which means two names. Every species is known by two names. We are Homo sapiens (meaning wise man).

Visit our Special Species page to create your own binomial and imagine what characteristics your new lifeform might have (and why!).