Zoology, or the study of animal life, has a long history and encompasses the embryology, structure, classification, and evolution of all animals, whether they are living or extinct. Zoologists study what animals eat, how they live, and how animals interact with their environments.
The science of zoology was not formulated into a single field of science until relatively recently, but its various paths can be traced back to Aristotle and his contemporaries.
During the Middle Ages, Muslim scientists such as Albertus Magnus made significant contributions to the understanding of zoology.
The discovery of many new organisms sparked renewed interest in zoology as a field of study during the European Renaissance.
Experimentation and observation were important contributors to scholars’ understanding of animal life at the time.
In the 1700s and 1800s, zoology established itself as a legitimate and important scientific discipline, prompting a number of notable zoologists to embark on expeditions.
Theories of extinction and man’s role in the process were introduced for the first time.
Adjacent studies in cell theory coincided with zoology research, resulting in new insights into life.
Charles Darwin published and became more widely known for his theories on evolution, as well as his concepts of survival of the fittest and natural selection, in the mid-1800s.
As scientists began to understand single cellular life forms, the germ theory of disease began to gain credibility, and spontaneous generation began to lose ground.
Inheritance, particularly as it related to diseases, remained a mystery, but a re-examination of Gregor Mendel’s earlier work led to new insights.
Some of the most significant achievements in zoology at the time involved animal classification, which was aided by detailed observation and study of familial relationships within animal groups.
Simultaneously, new understandings of evolution emerged, eventually leading to a better understanding of human evolution.
For many years, the Linnaean system dominated zoological research, but scientists are now proposing that the system is too limited and does not allow for species that are still being discovered.
