Every organism can be classified at 7 different levels - kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. Each level contains organisms with similar characteristics. The kingdom is the largest group and very broad. Each successive group contains fewer organisms, but the organisms are more similar. The species is the smallest group and is very narrow. Organisms within a species are able to mate and produce fertile offspring.

The following chart traces the classification of a grizzly bear through each of the 7 levels of classification. At each level, be aware of the characteristics the different organisms share.