A Community for Naturalists · iNaturalist
iNaturalist is a social network for naturalists! Record your observations of plants and animals, share them with friends and researchers, and learn about the natural world.
Overview
Added
March 17, 2026
Subject & domain
life-health · evolution-natural-selection
Grade range
Grade 4–Grade 12 (Senior)
Page kind
Social
Introduction
About iNaturalist
- Core Purpose: A global platform for identifying, tracking, and documenting wild plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms to contribute to biodiversity science.
- Key Statistics:
- 300M+ observations recorded.
- 550,000+ species documented.
- 7,000+ scientific papers cite iNaturalist data.
- 500+ species discovered or rediscovered by community scientists.
- How It Works:
- Observe: Users photograph wild organisms.
- Identify: The app provides instant suggestions, and the global community confirms or refines identifications.
- Contribute: Observations become open data used by researchers and conservationists worldwide.
- Accessibility: Open to everyone, from hobbyists to professional scientists; no prior expertise is required to participate.
- Research Grade: Observations reach "research grade" status once the community reaches a consensus on the identification, allowing the data to enter the global scientific record.
- Platform Availability: Accessible via mobile app (recommended for field use) and the iNaturalist.org website.
- Organization: iNaturalist is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting science and conservation.
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