Species

Species (aka race) is a term used to split various unique creatures into separate groups. There are numerous species throughout Azeroth, including orcs, humans, gnomes, trolls, and murlocs, among many others.Template:Cite There can also be generations of offspring from interfertile parents of two different species.Template:Cite They may be the first generation of a new hybrid speciesTemplate:Cite. Many races can interbreed including dwarves, high elves, night elves, trolls, goblins, orcs, taurenTemplate:Cite — producing races like forlarren, half-elves, half-night elves, half-ogres, half-human half-ogres, half-draenei, half-giants, mongrelmen, harpies, dragonspawn and vrykul. These offspring are often called half-breeds.

Satyr, dryads, keepers of the grove, centaur, magnataur, and nerubians may also be truly hybrid races.

Definition

In World of Warcraft, Blizzard interchanges the terms species and race giving them roughly the same meaning.

Humans are the dominant (as in, “most obvious”) intelligent species on Azeroth, but they are by no means alone. Elves, dwarves, tauren, imports such as orcs, and so on all share the world with humanity. In some cases, such races have proven far more influential than humanity over the long term.Template:Cite

In the Warcraft Universe races like elves, dwarves, humans, orcs, draenei, ogres, goblins, tauren, etc, are considered separate speciesTemplate:Cite Template:Cite Template:Cite Template:CiteTemplate:CiteTemplate:Cite Template:Cite Template:Cite and separate races.

For example, since the beginning of the First War, orcs have interbred with a number of species that vary largely in appearance; mostly with humans, but half-ogres and half-draenei are not unheard of.Template:Cite

In the RPG each separate playable race is considered a species/race and/or depending on source a subspecies/subrace within a base type. For example high elves, blood elves, night elves, and highborne are considered separate race/species or subspecies/subrace within the elven type.Template:CiteTemplate:Cite The terms subspecies amd subrace are used in the context that they are subtypes within another species/race.

Unfortunately Blizzard isn't always consistent on how they use the terms. Sometimes using the term 'race' when they meant the biological definition of 'species'. This has lead conflicts between sources, where one source says blood elves and high elves are the same 'biological race'('biological species' would have been a more proper use of words in that syntax), when most sources say they are separate races (culturally and biologically).

Known lore "species"

This is a list of sapient "species" established in lore. Additionally, each grouping within the same group such as various types of dwarves, elves, or trolls are considered separate species/race or subspecies/subrace depending on the source.Template:CiteTemplate:Cite

• CentaurTemplate:Cite
• HumanTemplate:CiteTemplate:CiteTemplate:CiteTemplate:CiteTemplate:CiteTemplate:Cite
• OrcTemplate:CiteTemplate:CiteTemplate:CiteTemplate:CiteTemplate:CiteTemplate:Cite
• ElfTemplate:CiteTemplate:Cite
• TaurenTemplate:CiteTemplate:Cite
• DwarfTemplate:Cite
• TrollTemplate:Cite
• TitanTemplate:Cite
• MagnataurTemplate:Cite
• MurlocTemplate:Cite
• NerubianTemplate:Cite
• PandarenTemplate:Cite
• HarpyTemplate:CiteTemplate:Cite
• Half-ogreTemplate:Cite
• DragonTemplate:CiteTemplate:Cite
• ScalebaneTemplate:CiteTemplate:Cite
• [Flametongue]Template:CiteTemplate:Cite
• FurbolgsTemplate:Cite
• OgreTemplate:CiteTemplate:Cite
• GnomeTemplate:Cite
• GnollTemplate:Cite
• DraeneiTemplate:Cite
• QuilboarTemplate:CiteTemplate:CiteTemplate:Cite
• WyrmkinTemplate:CiteTemplate:CiteTemplate:Cite
• WyvernTemplate:Cite
• Gryphon
• Hippogryphs

"subspecies"

Subspecies (aka subracesTemplate:Cite) are generally considered lesser groups within a main race/species. However, even these subgroups are considered separate race or species themselves in some sources.

• Dwarf subspecies can include Wildhammer, Ironforge, or Dark Iron dwarves.Template:Cite

• The various types of trolls are usually considered separate subspecies, though occasionally separate species.Template:Cite Template:Cite Template:CiteTemplate:Cite The terms appear to be interchangeable to Blizzard.

• Aesir and Vanir are considered two of the titan's various subspecies.Template:Cite

Speculation based on real-world definitions

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

In English, race and species can be synonyms — i.e. mean the same thing or have similar meaning in certain contexts.

Main Entry: race

Part of Speech: noun 2

Definition: ethnic group

Synonyms: blood, breed, clan, color, cultural group, culture, family, folk, house, issue, kin, kind, kindred, line, lineage, nation, nationality, offspring, people, progeny, seed, species, stock, strain, tribe, type, variety.[1]

However, usually in science, such as biology, a species is more accurately defined as "the major subdivision of a genus or subgenus, regarded as the basic category of biological classification, composed of related individuals that resemble one another, are able to breed among themselves, but are not able to breed with members of another species" and the term is not to be confused with race (usually synonymous with 'subspecies'). It should also be noted that;

race is now under dispute among modern biologists and anthropologists. Some feel that the term has no biological validity; others use it to specify only a partially isolated reproductive population whose members share a considerable degree of genetic similarity.[2]

In reality there are examples of two separate species mating and having offspring. Usually this produces sterile offspring, but this is not always the case., see Hybrid, for a few examples of fertile hybrids (and details how hybrid species happen.) Because of this the term "species" is hard to truly define.

A good example is the debate on whether neanderthals and homo sapiens are the same species, separate subspecies (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens sapiens), or different species (Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis), and if they could reproduce together (including whether the young would be fertile or infertile).

Based on real world definitions, orcs and humans, may or may not belong to the same species (Homo sapiens), but not the same race (subspecies). It would be within the realm of science that orcs and humans could still be classified as two separate species even though they produce fertile offspring, similar to hybrids like the beefalo.

If orcs and humans were the same 'species' this would make them both Homo Sapiens, which would make them both 'human', probably separate human subspecies. However this would go against how subspecies is already used within Warcraft literature.

Species speculation (based on known half-breeds)

┐

├ Template:Race Icon Orc Male Small Orc┐

│ └ (Alleged: Template:Race Icon FelOrc Male Small Fel Orcs)

├ Template:Race Icon Draenei Male Small Draenei┐

│ └ (Alleged: Template:Race Icon Eredar Male Small Eredar, Template:Race Icon Broken Male Small Broken, Template:Race Icon LostOne Small Lost Ones)

├ Template:Race Icon Human Male Small Human

├ Template:Race Icon Troll Male Small Troll┐

│ └ (Alleged: Template:Race Icon NightElf Male Small Night Elves, Template:Race Icon HighElf Male Small High elves, Template:Race Icon BloodElf Male Small Blood elves, Template:Race Icon Wretched Small Wretched, Template:Race Icon Naga Male Small Naga, Template:Race Icon Satyr Small Satyrs, Template:Race Icon Harpy Small Harpies )

├ Template:Race Icon Gronn Small Gronn — Template:Race Icon Ogre Male Small Ogre Lord

└ Template:Race Icon Ogre Male Small Ogre — (Alleged: Template:Race Icon Ogre Mage Small Ogre Mage)

Template:Race Icon Titan Male Small Titans

│ 

Template:Race Icon Earthen Small Earthen — (Alleged: Iron Dwarves, Template:Race Icon Dwarf Male Small Dwarves, Template:Race Icon Trogg Small Troggs)

├ Azotha — Template:Race Icon Human Male Small Humans

├ Vrykul

├ Template:Race Icon MountainGiant SmallTemplate:Race Icon SeaGiant Small Giant

└ Template:Race Icon SandGnome Small Sand Gnome — Template:Race Icon Gnome Male Small Gnome — Template:Race Icon LeperGnome Male Small Leper Gnome

┐

└ Template:Race Icon Tauren Male Small Tauren — (Alleged: Template:Race Icon Taunka Male Small Taunka)

┐

└ Template:Race Icon Furbolg Small Furbolgs — (Alleged: Template:Race Icon Pandaren Small Pandaren)

Proto-dragon

│ 

└ Template:Race Icon Blue Small Template:Race Icon Green Small Template:Race Icon Red Small Template:Race Icon Bronze Small Template:Race Icon Green Small Template:Race Icon Infinite Small Template:Race Icon Black Small Dragons — (Alleged: Template:Race Icon Netherwing Small Nether dragons, Template:Race Icon Chromatic Small Chromatic dragons, Drakonid, Dragonspawn, Template:Mount Icon Wyvern Small Wyverns)

Template:Race Icon Cenarian Male Small Cenarius

│ 

Template:Race Icon Cenarian Male Small Remulos Template:Race Icon Cenarian Male Small Zaetar

│ 

├ Template:Race Icon Cenarian Male Small Cenarius' Children

├ Template:Race Icon Centaur Male Small Centaur

└  Magnataur

┐

└ Aqir┐

│ └ (Alleged: Template:Race Icon Qiraji Male Small Qiraji, Template:Race Icon Nerubian Small Nerubians)

└ Template:Mount Icon QirajiTank Small Silithid

┐

├ Template:Race Icon Murloc Small Murloc — (Alleged: Template:Race Icon Murloc Small Mur'gul, Template:Race Icon Murloc Small Mutant Murloc, Template:Race Icon Murloc SmallGorloc, Oracles)

┐

└ Template:Race Icon Mo'arg Small Mo'arg — (Alleged: Template:Race Icon Felguard Small Felguard, Template:Race Icon Gan'arg Small Gan'arg)

┐

└ Template:Race Icon Dreadlord Small Nathrezim — (Alleged: Tothrezim)