Zoology is the science of studying about the animals. The animal kingdom has fascinated mankind for centuries together. People try and understand the evolution of life, extinction and emergence of species to understand different biological cycles.

         Many scientists have published catalogues of their observation about the existence of animals and plants in deep seas and far-off lands. The exploration of nature still continues.

         Zoology is recorded to have originated from China and Arabia when Al-Jahizz, a famous Afro-Arab scholar wrote a book on animals. Other popular people who have published their observations in the same field are Shen Kuo and Su Song.

         Reports state that scientific zoology began during the 16th century where the spirit of exploration, observation and research took shape. However, it was considered a separate field of study independent of physiology, anatomy and other medical research fields. Initially, this field started manifesting in the universities in Italy before it moved to the Oxford University 50 years later!

         In the year 1651, the popular institution in Europe named Academia Naturae Curiosorum started analyzing, illustrating and describing the structure of animals as well as plants. It was the incorporated by the Royal Society of London after about 11 years. Louis XIV established the Academy of Sciences in Paris. Anatomists and scientists set to work seriously in this field during the end of the eighteenth century.

         The first microscope invented by Leeuwenhoek created a huge revolution in the field of Zoology. During the nineteenth century, the microscope was made better with improved features to help establish the cell theory.



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