description:How to select a species and genome assembly of interest using the species selector
tags:
-species selector
status:draft
---
# Selecting a species
In order to start using Ensembl Genome Browser and Entity Viewer, you first need to select a species and genome assembly. There are two main ways to select a species:
- Click on the icons representing our 42 most popular species and click the green 'Add' button.
- Type the name of a species or genome assembly into the search box and select from the auto-complete options in the drop-down menu. If there is more than one genome assembly available for your species of interest, a drop-down menu will appear allowing you to select your genome assembly of interest. Click the green 'Add' button to add the selected species and genome assembly.
When a species has been selected the species and assembly name will appear at the top of the page.
You can add as many species as you like, and toggle between them when in the Genome Browser or Entity Viewer.
