Zoology

Zoology, or animal biology, is the field of biology that involves the study of animals. The word zoology comes from the Greek words zōion, meaning “animal”, and logos, meaning “the study of”. It encompasses all aspects of scientific knowledge about animals, like embryonic development, evolution, behavior, ecological distribution, and classification. Zoology is broken into many branches because there are so many different ways to study animals; it is also broken into branches based on which animals are being studied.

People have been interested in learning about animals since ancient times. The prominent ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle took detailed notes on animal observations, and inspired other scientists for many hundreds of years. Many universities were founded in Europe in the 16th Century, and by the mid-17th Century, divisions were founded in universities that focused entirely on animal research.