Zoology

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Zoology (Hindi: प्राणिविज्ञान[lower-alpha 1] or ) is the science of studying animal life. It is part of biology. Animal life is classified into groups called phyla, of which there are at least thirty.

The term is derived from Ancient Greek ζῷον, zōion ('animal'), and λόγος, logos ('knowledge', 'study').

Zoologists are scientists who study animals. They may work in laboratories, or do field research. The methods are many and various. At the heart, they cover the structure, function, ecology and evolution of animals. The structure is investigated by dissection, and microscopic examination. The function is investigated by observation and experiment. Palaeontology supplies information about extinct animals. Zoologists may be employed by universities, museums, or by zoos.

The scientific study of animals has gradually shifted its focus toward analysing their physical structures, functional adaptations, ecological interactions, and behavioral patterns. Over time, zoology has branched out into specialised fields like taxonomy, physiological studies, biochemical research, and evolutionary theory. A major turning point came in 1953 with Francis Crick and James Watson’s groundbreaking discovery of DNA’s double-helix structure. This breakthrough gave rise to molecular biology as a distinct discipline, paving the way for advancements in cellular processes, developmental studies, and genetic research.

Scope[edit | edit source]

Zoology, the scientific discipline focused on studying animals, defines a species as the largest biological group where members of the same sex can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. To date, approximately 15 lakh animal species have been documented, though estimates suggest there could be as many as 80 lakh undocumented species globally. Historically, a primary challenge involved classifying organisms based on their physical traits, evolutionary relationships, and differences, a task handled by taxonomists.

Initially, species were considered unchanging entities, but Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution revolutionized this perspective. It led to the emergence of cladistics, a field analysing evolutionary relationships between groups (clades). Systematics, meanwhile, examines the diversification of life forms, while a group’s evolutionary history is termed its phylogeny. These relationships are often visualised through cladograms[lower-alpha 2], which map connections between clades.

Interestingly, while the term "zoologist" once broadly encompassed all animal researchers, modern professionals now often specialise in distinct sub-disciplines. Today, experts identify themselves as physiologists (study of bodily functions), ethologists (animal behavior), evolutionary biologists, ecologists, pharmacologists (drug development), endocrinologists (hormonal systems), or parasitologists (parasite interactions).

Short-list of zoologists[edit | edit source]

Some zoologists:

Animal phylum[edit | edit source]

Read also[edit | edit source]

Other websites[edit | edit source]



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