ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Specific name (zoology)

In zoology, specific name is a fancy word for the second part of the scientific name of an animal. It helps us identify and classify different species of animals. Just like how our names are important to tell us apart from other people, animals also have specific names so we can tell them apart too.

Think of it like this - let's say we have two dogs, one is named Max and the other is named Bailey. They both look very similar, but we can tell them apart because they have different names. In the same way, animals have specific names so we can tell different species apart.

The specific name is written after the genus name and is usually a unique name that only applies to that one particular species of animal. For example, the specific name for humans is sapiens, which means "wise" in Latin.

So, in short, every animal has a special name called the specific name that helps scientists identify and classify different species.