Wikipedia:Article Guidance/Animal
- sourcesOnly subjects for which the user provided reliable sources not discouraged by the community can be created.
- juniorRestrictions apply to junior editors only.
Articles about animal species are appropriate when the species has been formally described in scientific literature and has a recognised scientific name. Any animal species that has been given a formal scientific name in a peer-reviewed publication is considered appropriate for a Wikipedia article. The article should accurately represent current scientific understanding based on peer-reviewed sources.
Quick considerations:
- Use the species' common name as the article title where one exists, and include the scientific name in the lead.
- Species names (common names) are not capitalised unless they contain a proper noun.
- Base all scientific claims on peer-reviewed publications. Do not speculate beyond what sources say.
- Conservation status should follow the IUCN Red List, which is the preferred source.
- Peer-reviewed zoology, ecology, and biology journals
- IUCN Red List for conservation status
- Authoritative taxonomic databases (e.g. Mammal Species of the World, IOC World Bird List, FishBase)
- Established natural history reference works
- Animal enthusiast websites and pet care sites
- Social media and nature photography sites
- Zoo or aquarium websites
- nationalgeographic.com
- livescience.com
- reddit.com
- twitter.com
- x.com
- instagram.com
- youtube.com
- medium.com
- blogspot.com
Articles created from this outline will be added to Category:Animals.
The [common name] ([scientific name]) is a species of [taxonomic group] in the family [family name]. [source?] It is native to [geographic range]. [source?] [One sentence on its most distinctive characteristic or conservation status.] [source?]
Taxonomy
[change source]The [common name] was first described by [authority name] in [year]. [source?] [Description of taxonomic history and classification, including any synonyms or subspecies.] [source?]
Description
[change source][Description of the animal's physical characteristics that distinguish it from closely related species.] [source?]
Distribution and habitat
[change source]The [common name] is found in [geographic range]. [Description of the habitats in which the species lives.] [source?]
Ecology and behaviour
[change source][Description of the animal's diet, reproduction, social behaviour, and interactions with its environment.] [source?]