Taxonomy & Classification
Class
강
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<speciesfyi-glossary slug="class"></speciesfyi-glossary>Definition
A taxonomic rank above order and below phylum, grouping related orders of organisms.
Detailed Explanation
Class is a rank that reflects major adaptive zones within a phylum. Within Chordata, the class Mammalia is united by hair, endothermy, and milk production; Aves by feathers and wishbones. Molecular analysis has forced reclassification of many classes — reptiles as traditionally defined are paraphyletic, as birds are nested within them. Modern systematics increasingly replaces such grades with clades.