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LifeDive A MooreMetrics tool

A cross-kingdom phenotype resource

Search the tree of life by phenotype.

Standardized estimates on 14 phenotypic dimensions for 35,856 animal, plant, and fungal species, generated with a web-search-enabled large language model. Describe the organism you are looking for, or start from species you already find interesting.

Query the resource How the estimates are made
Species
35,856
Dimensions
14
Scale
−4 to +4

About the resource

Seven million phenotype estimates across the tree of life

LifeDive is a cross-kingdom phenotype resource containing more than seven million standardized estimates for 35,856 animal, plant, and fungal species, generated with a web-search-enabled large language model. Validation against independent databases and a detailed audit suggests that the dataset preserves strong biological structure and can support exploratory research, comparative analyses, and hypothesis generation.

The manuscript describes the data and methods in full, and the pipeline code can be used for your own work. Questions and collaboration inquiries are welcome.

Suggested citation

Moore, T. M. (2026). A language model generates seven million phenotype estimates across the tree of life. Retrieved from https://lifedive.org.

Search

Two ways to query the resource

Set the dimensions that matter and switch off the rest. Zero is the average organism in the resource; the ends of each scale are its extremes.

Resembles a plant in form and life history.

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From −4, Not plant-like, to +4, Plant-like. Zero is the average organism.

Resembles a fungus in form and life history.

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From −4, Not fungus-like, to +4, Fungus-like. Zero is the average organism.

Resembles an insect in form and life history.

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From −4, Not insect-like, to +4, Insect-like. Zero is the average organism.

Resembles a bird in form and life history.

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From −4, Not bird-like, to +4, Bird-like. Zero is the average organism.

Lives in water rather than on land.

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From −4, Terrestrial, to +4, Aquatic. Zero is the average organism.

Venom, toxins, size, or behavior that can harm people.

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From −4, Harmless, to +4, Dangerous. Zero is the average organism.

Lives on or in a host, at the host's expense.

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From −4, Free-living, to +4, Parasitic. Zero is the average organism.

Spreads where it is not wanted, or causes problems for people.

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From −4, Benign, to +4, Invasive. Zero is the average organism.

Withstands long dry periods.

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From −4, Needs moisture, to +4, Drought-tolerant. Zero is the average organism.

Withstands cold climates and freezing.

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From −4, Needs warmth, to +4, Cold-tolerant. Zero is the average organism.

Long-lived, hardy, or persistent over time.

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From −4, Short-lived, to +4, Enduring. Zero is the average organism.

A simple body plan and life cycle.

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From −4, Complex, to +4, Simple. Zero is the average organism.

Has a shell or a hard outer casing.

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From −4, No shell, to +4, Shelled. Zero is the average organism.

Vulnerable to habitat change and disturbance.

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From −4, Resilient, to +4, Sensitive. Zero is the average organism.

How it works

How the estimates are made

  1. 1

    Every species is rated

    A web-search-enabled large language model rated each of the 35,856 species on a long list of phenotypic questions, yielding more than seven million standardized estimates. The full matrix is available for download above.

  2. 2

    14 summary dimensions

    A psychometric model condenses those ratings into 14 dimensions, each scaled from −4 to +4 around the average organism. The sliders on this page set targets on those same scales.

  3. 3

    Two ways to query

    Describe a phenotype returns the organisms whose profile lies closest to your settings. Start from example species returns those whose full rating profile correlates most strongly with the examples you named.

The data behind LifeDive is available through the MooreMetrics API.