Zoology (Biology)

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Zoology

The wide diversity of animal life subject to the purview of zoology (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Zoology is the study of all of the many forms of animal life. These forms range from microscopic planktonic species to the largest fauna that inhabit the seas and land. As a division of biology, the field of zoology involves the entirety of animal taxonomy or the familial tree of all fauna.

The discipline of zoological study encompasses animal locomotion, feeding behavior, social behavior, reproductive behavior, and all other animal species characteristics as well as morphology.

The term zoology derives from the Greek words zōon (or animal) and logos (or knowledge).

Sally crab.jpg
Crustacea (Biodiversity) Crustaceans are invertebrates belonging to the phylum Arthropoda and include such familiar groups as barnacles, crabs, crayfish, lobster, water fleas and pill bugs. Crustaceans... More »


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Spinner dolphin (Biodiversity) The Spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris), a marine mammal in the family of oceanic dolphins, gets itsname from the spinning behavior it shows when it leaps out of... More »


Annelida (Aquatic) (Zoology) These worms are commonly referred to as leeches. Leeches are very diverse in physiology; some freshwater species live in water with very low salt concentrations, while others can tolerate concentrations that are more severe than seawater. They can also survive severe fluctuations in oxygen levels. Because of the different habitat occupancy and lifestyles, leeches come in different shapes and sizes. There are a few characteristics that set them apart from all other worms. All have both an anterior and posterior sucker and are divided into 32 post-oral segments. The type and placement of eyes are used for classification. The musculature of leeches is modified from that of other worms. They posses the circular and longitudinal muscles of the other groups, but also have a set of diagonal and dorsoventral muscles. The result is a reduced coelom (and a loss of septa separating the coelom... More »
Adaptations of desert amphibians and reptiles Amphibians and reptiles have many different adaptations that allow them to live in deserts, avoiding extremes in aridity, heat, or cold. The animals may be active only in certain seasons and at favorable times of the day. Many use the environment to actively regulate their body temperatures, preventing lethal extremes. And some are well adapted to the surfaces they live on—with modified appendages for burrowing or the capacity to run on, dive into, swim in or sidewind across loose sand.Before vertebrate animals adapted to specific terrestrial habitats, such as deserts, they first had to adapt to living on land. The primary adaptations to life on land occurred in the Paleozoic 400 to 360 mya (million years ago) with the evolution of amphibians. Amphibians, a name derived from the Greek word amphibios (a being with a double life), live in fresh water as larvae and can move onto land as... More »

Catching a Coral Killer
Catching a Coral Killer First ever case of human-caused marine disease. Catching a Coral Killer Coral reefs play an important role in marine ecosystems, so it's concerning to scientists,... More »


Coral reefs (collection)
Coral reefs (collection) Coral reefs are one of the most diverse, complex, aesthetically appealing and threatened ecosystems on earth. This collection will include information on a wide range of topics... More »


Northern snakehead
Northern snakehead (Zoology) The northern snakehead (Channa argus) is a freshwater fish native to China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, which has been introduced to portions of the USA, where it is... More »


The critically endangered dusky gopher frog,...
The critically endangered dusky gopher frog,... Amphibian species worldwide are in rapid decline. One of the most common reasons for this decline is the spread of the chytrid fungus. The dusky gopher frog Lithobates sevosus... More »


Oldest Known Wild Bird in U.S.
Oldest Known Wild Bird in U.S. Oldest Known Wild Bird in U.S. Returns to Midway to Raise Chick The oldest known U.S. wild bird—a coyly conservative 60—is a new mother. The bird, a Laysan... More »


European otter
European otter (Zoology) The European otter (Lutra lutra) is a broadly distributed marine mammal found in both marine and freshwater systems over considerable portions of Europe, Asia and North Africa;... More »


Lyrebird
Lyrebird (Zoology) Lyrebirds Superb Lyrebird Scientific... More »



Gentoo penguin
Gentoo penguin (Zoology) The Gentoo penguin (scientific name: Pygoscelis papua) is one of seventeen species of flightless birds in the family of penguins. It is one of three "Brush-tailed... More »


Diadem roundleaf bat
Diadem roundleaf bat The Diadem roundleaf bat (Scientific name:Hipposideros diadema)is animpressive sight amongst the trees of the rainforest; this large bat is a formidable hunter with a... More »


African elephant.jpg
Herbivore (Zoology) A herbivore is an animal that derives energy and nutrients by feeding on plants. Different types of herbivores eat different plant parts. For example, folivores feed on leaves, frugivores feed on fruits, granivores feed on seeds, pollinivores feed on pollen, and nectarivores feed on nectar. Herbivores can vary greatly in size, ranging from the largest terrestrial animals (elephants) and large marine mammals such as manatees and dugongs, to small insects, nematodes, and thrips. Herbivores are primary consumers (they receive their energy by consuming primary producers), so they play an important trophic role in ecological communities and food webs. Because mature leaves are low in nutrients, and difficult to digest because of their high cellulose content, animals use many different strategies to eat leaves. Animals that feed on grass leaves are generally... More »