Zoology is the scientific study of animals, including their structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one of the primary branches of biology, and the term is derived from Ancient Greek ζῷον, zōion (animal), and λόγος, logos (knowledge, study) . Zoology studies individual animals and their constituent parts, even to the molecular level, as well as animal populations, entire faunas, and the relationships of animals to each other, to plants, and to the nonliving environment.

Zoology has a long history, and the zoological sciences emerged from natural history reaching back to the biological works of Aristotle and Galen in the ancient Greco-Roman world. Zoology continued in the Aristotelian tradition for many centuries in the Mediterranean region, and by the Middle Ages, in Europe, it had accumulated considerable folklore, superstition, and moral symbolisms, which were added to otherwise objective information about animals.

Zoology has many branches, including ornithology, the study of birds, and entomology, the study of insects. Zoology majors study wild or domesticated animals and how they are shaped by their environments and relationships. Zoology majors begin with subjects such as biology, chemistry, math, and physics, which help students understand organisms from the molecular level to the highest systems level and provide an introduction to areas like anatomy and genetics.

Zoology is a subject for those who love animals and want to understand how the natural world works. As our awareness of environmental issues grows, and as our governments shift their priorities towards protecting and conserving the environment and wildlife, zoology will be an increasingly worthwhile subject to study. Zoologists investigate what animals eat and how they live, and how animals interact with their habitats.