Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (/lɪˈniː.əs, -ˈneɪ-/;[1][2] 23 May[note ^1] 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné[3] (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈkɑːɭ fɔn lɪˈneː]i), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming organisms.
He is known as the "father of modern taxonomy".[4]
Many of his writings were in Latin; his name is rendered in Latin as Carolus Linnæus and, after his 1761 ennoblement, as Carolus a Linné.
In botany and zoology, the abbreviation L. is used to indicate Linnaeus as the authority for a species' name.[10]
In older publications, the abbreviation "Linn." is found.
Linnaeus's remains constitute the type specimen for the species Homo sapiens following the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, since the sole specimen that he is known to have examined was himself.[note ^2]