Career Corner

Career Corner


Zoology, pronounced zoe-ology, is the study of animals. Since zoology is such a broad topic, there are many specific professions that a zoologist can engage in...

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

Specializes in managing animal welfare and breeding.

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ANIMAL TRAINER

Trains animals to perform special tasks.

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APICULTURE

Apiculturalist study the social structure and breeding of bees. They investigate factors affecting the yield of nectar and pollen on various plants favored by bees. Their goal is to improve bee strains and to increase the honey quality and yield. Apiculture also falls under the category entomology.

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AQUATIC BIOLOGY

Aquatic biologists study animals and plants living in the water. They analyze environmental conditions that affect these organisms.

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ECOLOGY

Ecology is the study of the interactions among animal and their environment.

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ENTOMOLOGY

Entomology is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of insects and other arthropods. Entomologists work in the areas of beekeeping; insect diseases; pest control; the effects of pesticides on insects, birds, and mammals; and classification and teaching; and in such areas of biological research as ecology, behavior, physiology, and morphology.

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ETHOLOGY

Ethology is the science of the behavior of animals in their natural, or wild, state. Thus, ethology mainly concerns instinctive or inherited behavior rather than learned behavior. The ultimate goal of ethologists is to discover how instinctive behavior among related species evolved and now serves to enhance survival. The first ethologists, in the early 1900s, believed that their studies would reveal the origins of human ethics; hence, they borrowed the term ethology from philosophy, where it refers to the evolution of human values. The term remains popular in Europe, but American counterparts of European ethologists prefer the terms SOCIOBIOLOGY, behavioral biology, or comparative psychology.

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HERPETOLOGY

Herpetology is the study of the anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, behavior, and evolution of amphibians and reptiles. Herpetologists usually specialize in one or the other of the two classes and often in one organism.

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ICHTHYOLOGY

A branch of zoology (the science of animals), ichthyology deals specifically with fishes. Areas of study include the structure, classification, behavior, development, and distribution of fishes. In addition, ichthyology is concerned with relationships between fishes, the environment, conservation, and humans.

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INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY

Invertebrate zoology is the study of the anatomy, physiology, behavior, and ecology of the invertebrates--animals lacking a backbone. The unicellular protozoa are so distinctive that researchers of this group usually regard themselves as protozoologists rather than invertebrate zoologists. Insects are so numerous and economically important that this discipline has developed into a separate field of study, entomology.

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MARINE BIOLOGY

Marine biology is the study of living things found in saltwater biomes.

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ORNITHOLOGY

Ornithology is the branch of zoology that deals with the study of birds, including living and fossil forms. The term derives from the Greek origins for "bird." Professional ornithologists specialize in fields of pure science such as bird anatomy, behavior, ecology, and evolution, or in applied fields such as wildlife management and avian veterinary medicine, and they have a number of societies that publish journals and hold annual meetings. The American Ornithologists' Union was founded in 1883, and the first session of the International Ornithological Congress was held the following year. Amateur ornithologists can also participate in migration studies and other programs.

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VETERINARY MEDICINE

Veterinary medicine is that part of biology which deals with the health and disease of animals. Traditionally, it has principally involved the cure and treatment of disease; however, the emphasis is changing. Although cures and treatment are important, promotion of health is assuming its rightful place in veterinary medicine.

Veterinary medicine is concerned with a variety of animal species other than humans in a multitude of environmental circumstances. Humans are, however, the primary beneficiary of veterinary efforts. The practice of veterinary medicine may be applied by the veterinarian at a minimum of five levels: health promotion; specific prevention or protection; early diagnosis and prompt treatment; disability limitation; and rehabilitation or salvage.

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WILDLIFE MANAGER

Wildlife managing deals with the preservation and protection of wildlife. Wildlife managers must know habitat requirements for the survival and reproduction of many animals species. They conduct population surveys and provide protection for the species in their area.

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