Biological classification is a formal system of identifying, naming, and grouping individual organisms. While various systems have existed since antiquity, the modern classification system was first developed by Carl Linnaeus in the eighteenth century. It is based on a binomial naming system and groupings of organisms based on important traits.

Methods for grouping organisms into formal systems have been around since antiquity. Aristotle established one of the first systems that identified plants and animals as distinct kingdoms. He even divided these kingdoms into more basic categories. Aristotle and many natural philosophers after him, followed an alphabetical ordering system. During the sixteenth century, the number of known plants and animals had increased to the point that a new organizational system was necessary. Gaspard Bauhin (1560-1624) introduced a two-part, or binomial, naming system and published a list of plants organized by similar characteristics. Bauhin's work was further developed...