Encyclopedia of Life

The Encyclopedia of Life is a series of websites that unites mammal, bird, bug, plant, bacteria, etc. in one location, providing in-depth, scientifically valid information on individual species as well as developing a clear understanding of how ecosystems work and change over time and under different conditions. Ultimately, the Encyclopedia of Life will provide an online database for all 1.8 million species now known to live on Earth.

This website is a collaborative scientific effort led by the Field Museum of Natural History, Harvard University, Marine Biological Laboratory, Missouri Botanical Garden, Smithsonian Institution, and Biodiversity Heritage Library (a consortium including the American Museum of Natural History, Natural History Museum, New York Botanical Garden, and Royal Botanic Gardens). .

EOL’s initial release of species sites in February 2008 includes individualized pages for more than 1,000,000 species of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Only subsets of these pages, however, are comprehensive in terms of content. Students and educators will be provided with a wide variety of tools for using the information on the species pages as well as for feeding their own information back into the system

There are four kinds of pages in the initial release:

About 25 exemplar species pages contain a wide array of information. These pages offer a glimpse into how rich EOL will become. Exemplar pages have been authenticated (endorsed) by scientists who are experts on these species.
Tens of thousands of additional species pages are available, focusing on a small number of taxonomic groups for which EOL has developed partnerships with stewards of publicly available information. These pages are also authenticated by scientists, but they do not yet contain the rich array of information found on the exemplar pages.
About one million minimal species pages contain limited content—in most cases, just the species’ scientific and common names, limited information about its taxonomic position and distribution, and links to other sources of information. These minimal species pages are, in effect, placeholders for richer pages that will be added as EOL recruits taxonomic specialists to validate and edit content, establishes formal agreements with additional data partners that can provide relevant content, and generates additional content via the Biodiversity Heritage Library, other Web-based resources, and contributions from individual scientists and citizen-scientists.
Finally, thousands of linking pages represent higher levels of classification (genus, family, etc.). These pages help users traverse the taxonomic hierarchy. For example, a user trying to identify a picture of an organism she photographed on a snorkeling trip might start at Chordates, then go to Cartilaginous Fishes, then to Rays, and so on, until finally reaching the species page for the Giant Manta.

How do I search for a species?: There are many different ways to find information on species. One way is simply to type a common name or scientific name into the Find box at the top of any page. At this time, the search is literal and finds only exact matches, although this will be extended in subsequent releases. Other ways to find information are to browse through the text or graphical version of the classification visible on every species or linking page, or to click the assortment of images that appear on the home page. We are also working to build new ways to view the overall tree of life.
I don’t know what to look for, how can I browse EOL?: We recommend that you use the classification in the upper right of each species or higher taxon page (those that show a higher level grouping of species, for example the group of mammals or fungi). As an alternative, there are several collections of species on the EOL home page, as well as a scrolling row of hyperlinked images. You can also use the Feedback menu at the top of the page to go to the EOL Forum to ask other users about where particular kinds of organisms are found.