Summary: Search for taxa by name Operation ID: searchTaxa Auth: none
Search the Encyclopedia of Life database for species by scientific or common name. This endpoint returns a paginated list of matching taxa with their EOL page IDs, scientific names, and links. It's the primary discovery endpoint for finding species when you don't know the exact EOL page ID. Results include up to 50 items per page and contain enough metadata to identify the correct species among similar matches.
Original spec description
Search for taxa using scientific or common names. Returns a list of matching EOL pages with identifiers and links.
Usage Tips
- Results are paginated (max 50 per page) - use the `page` parameter to navigate
- For exact matches only, set `exact=true` to filter out partial matches
- The `q` parameter accepts both scientific names (e.g., "Panthera tigris") and common names (e.g., "tiger")
- Use `cache_ttl` to control how long results are cached in seconds
- This endpoint is ideal for autocomplete or search-as-you-type functionality
Parameters (3)
cache_ttl(integer, query, optional)
Number of seconds to cache the response
page(integer, query, optional, default: 1)
Page number for paginated results (30 results per page)
Constraints: {'minimum': 1}
q(string, query, required)
The search query string (scientific or common name)