Zoology

Zoology is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. The study of animal life is, of course, ancient: but as 'zoology' it is relatively modern, for what we call biology was known as 'natural history' at the start of the nineteenth century. During the lifetime of Charles Darwin, natural history turned from a gentlemanly pursuit to a modern scientific activity. Zoology as we know it was first established in German and British universities.

Morphography (a branch of zoology) includes the systematic exploration and tabulation of the facts involved in the recognition of all the recent and extinct kinds of animals and their distribution in space and time.The museum-makers of old days and their modern representatives the curators and describers of zoological collections, early explorers and modern naturalist travelers and writers on zoo-geography, and collectors of fossils and palaeontologists are the chief varieties of zoological workers coming under this heading. Gradually, anatomical study has associated itself with the more superficial morphography until today no one considers a study of animal form of any value which does not include internal structure, histology and embryology in its scope.

Animals are a major group of organisms, classified as the kingdom Animalia or Meta­zoa. In general they are multi­cellular, capable of locomotion, responsive to their environment, and feed by consuming other organisms. Their body plan becomes fixed as they develop, usually early on in their development as embryos, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on.

The word "animal" comes from the Latin word animal, of which animalia is the plural, and is derived from anima, meaning vital breath or soul. In everyday usage animal refers to any member of the animal kingdom that is not a human being, and sometimes excludes insects (although including such arthropods as crabs). The use of the word animal in law typically reflects the common pre-scientific use of the word, roughly equivalent to what modern biology would classify as nonhuman mammal. For example, wildlife laws commonly use phrases such as "animals, birds and fish."

The Scripture is full of references to animals, but they are not described in modern scientific terms. Almost always, they are connected with some spiritual significance, to teach us about God or to give us instruction about how we are to live. (A few examples of these are Job 12:7-10, Prov. 6:6-8, and Matthew 6:26.) Genesis 1 tells us that swimming and flying creatures were created on the fifth day, and that cattle, creeping things, and beasts of the earth were created on the sixth. God then created man and gave him dominion over the "fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." As Christians we want to avoid two extremes when dealing with animals. First, we must avoid abusing and exploiting them (Prov. 12:10). But second, we should not idolize them. In fact, Romans 1 says that it is a curse from God when we do. Animals are beasts, for our use as we obey God's command to take dominion over the earth.

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11 Items found Print
Active Filters: Insects & Arachnids, 12th grade (Ages 17-18)
City of the Bees DVD
from Moody Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Moody Science DVDs (Location: SCI-MOODY)
DK Handbooks: Insects, Spiders and Other Terrestrial Arthropods
by Randall Jarrell
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-Adult
1966 Newbery Honor Book
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
Dragonfly Beetle Butterfly Bee
by Maryjo Koch
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-Adult
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
Insects and Spiders
National Audubon Society Pocket Guides
by John Farrand, Jr.
2002 Printing from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 7th-12th grade
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Insects of the Pacific Northwest
Timber Press Field Guides
by Judy Haggard, Peter Haggard
from Timber Press, Inc.
for 7th-Adult
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America
by Eric R. Eaton & Kenn Kaufman
from Houghton Mifflin
for 8th-Adult
in Field Guides: Insects (Location: NAT-FG04)
$25.00 $14.00 (1 in stock)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Butterflies
by Robert Michael Pyle
Chanticleer Press ed from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 7th-Adult
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
$26.00 $13.00 (1 in stock)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects & Spiders
by Lorus and Margery Milne
Later Printing from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 7th-Adult
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
Pacific Northwest Insects
Timber Press Field Guides
by Judy Haggard, Peter Haggard
from Seattle Audubon Society
for 7th-Adult
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
$34.95
Peterson Field Guide to Insects
Peterson Field Guides
by Donald J. Borror, Richard E. White
2nd edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 6th-Adult
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths
by Paul A. Opler
2nd edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-12th grade
in Field Guides: Insects (Location: NAT-FG04)
$9.99