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Welcome to Wikispecies The free species directory that anyone can edit. It covers Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Bacteria, Archaea, Protista and all other forms of life. So far we have 318,807 articles Wikispecies is free, because life is in the public domain!

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Chaetopleura papilio	Aurelia aurita	Spirulina	Trachemys scripta scripta	Astragalus bibullatus

Explore Wikispecies HELP Section -- Detailed information on creating pages. Taxonomy -- Information on the Linnaean classification of species. Village Pump -- Discuss the project. Done and To Do -- See references to very detailed areas and defined future targets Wikispecies FAQ -- Check replies to common concerns. Image Guidelines -- Our recommendation on where to upload illustrations Wikispecies PR -- Help us by spreading the word of Wikispecies Collaboration with ZooKeys A collaboration between Wikispecies and ZooKeys has been announced. PhytoKeys also joined the collaboration in November 2010. Images of species from ZooKeys and PhytoKeys will be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons and used in Wikispecies. Distinguished Author José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage   (1823-1907). A Portuguese zoologist and politician. He was the curator of Zoology at the Museum of Natural History in Lisbon. His work at the Museum consisted in acquiring, describing and coordinating collections, many of which arrived from the Portuguese colonies in Africa, such as Angola, Mozambique, etc. He published more than 200 taxonomic papers on mammals, birds, and fishes. In the 1880s he became the Minister of the Navy and later the Minister for Foreign Affairs for Portugal. The zoology collection at the Lisbon Museum is called the Bocage Museum in his honor. He was responsible for identifying many new species, which he named according to the naturalist who found them.

Species of the week Hawaiian Coot Fulica alai Fulica alai Some facts on this bird: Head and body length: 38-39 cm. Wingspan: 65 cm. Weight: Around 500 g. Range: Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, primarily Kauai, Oahu and Maui. Habitat: Freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes and coastal saline lagoons. Egg clutch: 4 to 10 eggs. Surviving number: Estimated at 2,000-4,000. Conservation status: Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1). First described: By the American artist, naturalist, entomologist and photographer Titian Peale in 1848. Fulica alai isn't satisfied with living on the waterfront. No, it goes one step further and builds its home right on the surface of the water. The nest is made of a floating mass of vegetation measuring about 60 cm in diameter. It provides a resting-hiding place and an anchor for a wide range of aquatic plants, tadpoles and small fish. Both parents incubate the eggs, defending the nest vigorously against predators. If an enemy gets the upper hand and destroys the nest, the pair faces the challenge and rebuilds it. Much of this bird's habitat has been eliminated or altered. This, combined with a host of introduced predators, makes the Hawaiian coot feel much under siege.

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