Dichotomous Key Maker

Quickly and Accurately Identify Species

Visually organize large amounts of information to quickly identify, categorize, and analyze organisms.

Create Your Dichotomous Key

Customizable dichotomous key templates
Real-time visual collaboration
PNG, SVG, and PDF export

Dichotomous Key Maker

Quickly and Accurately Identify Species

Visually organize large amounts of information to quickly identify, categorize, and analyze organisms.

Create Your Dichotomous Key

Customizable dichotomous key templates
Real-time visual collaboration
PNG, SVG, and PDF export

Over 10 Million people and 1000s of teams already use Creately

How to make a Dichotomous Key Diagram?

Create Your Dichotomous Key Online with Editable Templates

Dichotomous Key for Insects

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Dichotomous Key for Plants

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Dichotomous Key for Leaves

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Bacteria Diachotomous Key Template

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Phylogenetic Tree

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Phylogenetic Tree of Felines

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The African Savanna Food Web

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Food Web Diagram

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VISUALIZE

Draw Complex Dichotomous Keys in Minutes

Multiple dichotomous key templates to quickly visualize and organize information.
Powerful and customizable table to effortlessly create list-styled dichotomous keys.
Simple to use drag and drop tools to quickly generate complex dichotomous keys.
Automatic drawing with Plus Create to create branching flowcharts instantly.
Freehand drawing and highlights to sketch anything you want and analyze organisms.

CONNECT & ORGANIZE

Centralize All Information

Import images, vectors, and more to create informative dichotomous key diagrams.
Add docs, attachments, and more to capture details on each organism’s evolution.
Infinite canvas to gather research data and to visually arrange them.

COLLABORATE

Analyze Dichotomous Keys Together

Real-time cursors for students, teachers, or researchers to work on a shared canvas.
Comment with context, have discussions and follow-ups on the same canvas. Async!
Multiple access and role levels to share, review and edit.

EXTEND

Build Interactive Dichotomous Key Diagrams

Custom properties and additional data fields to add information about organisms.
Use frames to generate page-like layouts to organize data, or build presentations.
Export as SVGs, PDFs, and PNGs to publish, present, print, and share.
Embed in any site or share them with anyone via an email or link invite to collaborate.

Create Your Dichotomous Key

INTRODUCING

Templates

Visualize process and user insights with AI templates

Accessing Creately VIZ

Simply go to the templates panel in the Creately app and select a range of VIZ enabled framweorks

Select a shape and then click on the Plus Create

What is a Dichotomous Key?

A dichotomous key is used to identify and classify objects (i.e. people, animals, plants, bacteria, etc.) into specific categories based on their characteristics. It’s the most commonly used form of classification or type of identification key used in biology as it simplifies identifying unknown organisms.

How Can You Collaborate Around a Dichotomous Key in a Classroom Setting?

Dichotomous keys are used to identify objects or organisms based on a series of choices between two characteristics. It can help students to develop critical thinking, problem-solving abilities and also help them to gain a deeper understanding on a subject area. Below are some ways how a dichotomous key can be used in a classroom setting.

To teach students on how to identify different species of plants and animals in Biology.
To teach students about the classification of living things and how a dichotomous key is used to identify different taxonomic groups, such as phyla, classes, and orders.
As a problem-solving tool to help students identify an unknown substance or object based on its physical characteristics.
Help students classify different types of writing genres, such as poetry, fiction, and non-fiction in language arts.
Help students identify different types of landforms, such as mountains, valleys, and plateaus.

How to Create a Dichotomous Key in Your Classroom?

First select a suitable platform

Select a platform to draw your dichotomous key. Creately’s dichotomous key maker offers an intuitive interface for drawing dichotomous keys online.

Assign groups

Divide the class into small groups. Assign each a specific group of organisms to build a dichotomous key.

Research and gather information

Guide each group to conduct a thorough research and gather information about the assigned organisms' physical characteristics, habitat, and other features. Show them how to list down the characteristics of the specimen they are trying to classify with the dichotomous key.

Create and assign folders and workspaces to each group in Creately. Provide necessary permissions to edit.

Organize the information

Organize the characteristics in order. Start with the most general characteristics before moving to the more specific ones. Identify the more obvious and less obvious contrasting characteristics among the specimen before creating your dichotomous key.

Use Creately’s powerful and customizable table function to list down characteristics. Highlight with configurable color themes to better analyze and understand.

Divide the specimens

Divide the specimens into two groups. The first differentiation should be made on the most general characteristic. Based on the next contrasting characteristics, divide the specimen further. Continue to subdivide the specimen by asking enough questions until your group has identified and named all of them.

Write the key

Guide each group on how to use the already organized information to create the key. Ensure that each statement in the key has two options and that each choice leads to a unique identification of the organism.

You can create a text-based dichotomous key or a graphical one where you can even use images of the specimen you are trying to identify. Easily drag and drop shapes to create the dichotomous key and use the notes panel of each element to include more information along with attachments and links. You can also import images or use the in-built Google search function to include graphics on the canvas.

Review and revise

Once created, share the key with other groups for feedback to improve. Use comments and discussion threads to exchange feedback on the shared canvas. Each group can share the workspaces via an email or link invite.

Test and present

Test the validity of your dichotomous key by using it to identify various organisms from the chosen group.

As the next step, the groups can present the finalized key to the class. Use frames inside the canvas to build presentations and report-like layouts for interactive lectures and to share information.

FAQs About the Dichotomous Key Maker

What is a dichotomous key maker?

A dichotomous key maker is an online tool that makes the process of creating a dichotomous key diagram easier. A dichotomous key maker comes with intuitive drag-and-drop tools, dynamic connectors, pre-made templates that you can quickly customize, and real-time collaboration features to work together with peers. It also makes it easy for you to share and embed your diagram across multiple platforms.

How to use Creately’s dichotomous key maker?

Creately’s dichotomous key maker is intuitive and easy to use. You can get a head start on creating your dichotomous key diagram with a premade template or create one from scratch with its extensive shape library. You can import or drag and drop images from your own device to further customize your dichotomous key, and capture additional details on species with shape data and integrated notes.

How to use the dichotomous key maker with your team?

Start by adding the team members you wish to collaborate with to the workspace containing your dichotomous key. Add them either as editors or viewers depending on how you want to work with them; editors can make changes to the workspace whereas view access will only allow others to review and share comments. You can interact with your remote peers via in-app integrations while monitoring the changes they make with live mouse tracking and synced previews.