A branch of biology, zoology studies the function, evolution, behavior and conduct of animals. Zoology as a science can be traced as far back as the 16th century, when the anatomy schools of Italian institutes of higher learning started to explore the subject. However, humanity has been interested in animals for far longer, as evidenced in the work known as the Physiologus, which dates to the 2nd century AD. A field of study rich in subdisciplines, zoology includes the following areas: zoography, behavioral ecology, animal physiology, comparative anatomy, ornithology, mammology, entomology, herpetology, and ethology.
Career Resources
Famous Zoologists- Louis Agassiz: Biographical information on the Swiss-born zoologist who was one of the founders of the modern American scientific tradition.
- Rudolf Leuckart: Short biography of this "Father of Parasitology."
- BBC - History - Charles Darwin: Biography on Charles Darwin, the biologist who founded the Theory of Evolution.
- Jane Goodall: Information on the English primatologist directly from her own institute.
- The Alfred Russel Wallace Page: Page dedicated to the life and the works of this English naturalist.
- Dian Fossey: Detailed biography of the murdered American zoologist who specialized in studying gorillas.
- Steve Irwin’s Biography: Short but detailed biography of the late Animal Planet zoologist and crocodile promoter.
History- History of Zoology: A short-but-concise write-up on the history of zoology.
- Zoology: Provides brief information on the history of zoology in the third paragraph.
- University of Pennsylvania: Talks about the history of zoology from the days of Aristotle onwards.
- New World Encyclopedia: Write-up on the history of zoology from its early days onwards.
- Knowledgerush: Quite a detailed write-up on all the major events in zoology.
- History of zoology (1859-1912): Information on the history of zoology only after Charles Darwin proposed the Theory of Evolution in 1859.
- Trip Atlas: Informative write-up on the history of zoology includes facts about famous zoologists.
Organizations / AssociationsPublicationsSubfields- Comparative Anatomy: Information on comparative anatomy and one of its students who is called the founder of modern human anatomy.
- HOT TOPICS IN ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY: Fine collection of links that deal with the physiology of different types of animals.
- Behavioral Ecology: An effective definition of behavioral ecology and an example of it.
- Introduction to Ethology: Introduces visitors to what ethology is, which is the study of animal behavior.
- Mammalogy: A brief explanation of what mammalogy deals with.
- About Herpetology: Explains exactly what herpetology is and includes many links to further, interesting reading information.
- What is Ornithology?: Explanation on what ornithology is, including the fact that even non-professionals make contributions to it.
- Entomology at Texas A&M University: Visitor information about this university department that is devoted to the study of entomology.
Systems of Classification
