30-Second Zoology: The 50 Most Fundamental Categories and Concepts from the Study of Animal Life

Excerpt From: Fellowes, Mark;. “30-Second Zoology.”

“Zoology, the study of animal life in all its forms and structures, is a subject that has captivated people for millennia. In part, this is for simple, practical reasons: animals are a source of food and materials, and some of those we have domesticated also provide us with their labour and companionship. Of course, other, wild, animals can also threaten us with physical harm and disease. But animals are much more than this; they are an innate part of our own species’ psyche. In parts of France you can see cave paintings executed over 15,000 years ago that depict species such as horses, bison and ibex in such detail that even today they can be readily identified. But this is not something unusual; everywhere across the world where we find ancient art we see representations of animals, and this desire to identify with other species remains a part of our culture.”