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What do the genus and species parts of the name Homo sapiens mean?
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Zoology
Blue wildebeests (Connochaetes taurinus) drinking at the water's edge, Masai Mara, Kenya.
In the context of biological classification, the name Homo sapiens follows the Linnaean system of binomial nomenclature, where the first part represents the genus and the second represents the specific epithet.1
- Homo: This is the genus name, derived from the Latin word for "human being". It encompasses modern humans as well as several extinct related species.23
- sapiens: This is the specific epithet, which comes from the Latin word meaning "wise" or "intelligent".2
Together, these terms identify the human species within the broader taxonomy of living organisms.21