Biological Terms

Extant - Still alive and in natural existence.  Example: The Amur tiger is currently extant but, the
              saber-toothed cat has gone extinct.

Genus - A group of related species within the same family that are more closely related to each other
              than to any species belonging to a different genus but common family. Plural = Genera.
              Example:The genus Panthera contains the tiger (Panthera tigris), the leopard (Panthera 
              pardus), the jaguar (Panthera onca), and the lion (Panthera leo).  These four species are
              more closely related to each other than to species within the genus Puma or Lynx.
              However, Panthera, Puma, and Lynx all fall under the family Felidae.


The definitions for these terms were written by the author and are consistent with term use on this website.   In the author's professional opinion, they would also be deemed correct and accurate by the majority of the biological scientific community. 

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