Subfields of zoology

thumb|A marbled godwit being ringed for studies on [[bird migration]]

thumb|Honey bee|Honeybee workers perform the [[waggle dance to indicate the range and direction of food.]] thumb|Great crested grebes perform a complex synchronised [[courtship display.]] thumb|Male impalas fighting during the rut

Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 35,800 species of fish had been described as of March 2025.

thumb|Blue poison dart frog Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν herpetón, meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (including snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodilians, and tuataras). Birds, which are cladistically included within Reptilia, are traditionally excluded here; the separate scientific study of birds is the subject of ornithology.

thumb|Siberian tiger

Sociobiology is a field of biology that aims to explain social behavior in terms of evolution. It draws from disciplines including psychology, ethology, anthropology, evolution, zoology, archaeology, and population genetics. Within the study of human societies, sociobiology is closely related to evolutionary anthropology, human behavioral ecology, evolutionary psychology, and sociology.

thumb|Trichonephila clavipes

thumb|A bigfin reef squid displaying considerably developed ocular, locomotive, and bioluminescent organs, all particularly of interest to the malacological study of its class [[Cephalopoda]]

thumb|A Golden Retriever Cynology (rarely kynology, ) is the study of matters related to canines or domestic dogs. In English, it is a term sometimes used to denote a serious zoological approach to the study of dogs as well as by writers on canine subjects, dog breeders, trainers and enthusiasts who study the dog informally.

thumb|upright=1.3|Priscacara liops, fish fossil from Wyoming

thumb|upright=1.3|The helminth Spinochordodes parasitising a bush-cricket ([[Meconema sp.)]] thumb|upright|A plate from Félix Dujardin's 1845 Histoire naturelle des helminthes ou vers intestinaux Helminthology, from Ancient Greek ἕλμινς (hélmins), meaning "parasitic worm", and λόγος (lógos), meaning "study", is the study of parasitic worms (helminths). The field studies the taxonomy of helminths and their effects on their hosts.

thumb|gastropod shell|Shell of [[Maurea tigris, the tiger top snail]] thumb|Shell of Lobatus gigas, the queen conch

thumb|Various crustaceans, all of interest to carcinologists. Carcinology, from Ancient Greek καρκίνος (karkínos), meaning "crab", and λόγος (lógos), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology that consists of the study of crustaceans. Crustaceans are a large traditional subphylum of arthropods classified by having a hard exoskeleton made of chitin or chitin and calcium, three body regions, and jointed, paired appendages. Crustaceans include lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, copepods, barnacles and crabs. Most crustaceans are aquatic, but some can be terrestrial, sessile, or parasitic. Other nam

Planktology is the study of plankton, various small drifting plants, animals and microorganisms that inhabit bodies of water. Planktology topics include primary production, energy flow and the carbon cycle.

thumb|Bufo periglenes

thumb|The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an important [[model organism.]]

thumb|Anopheles stephensi

thumb|A common octopus (Common Octopus|Octopus vulgaris) thumb|Caribbean reef squid Sepioteuthis sepioidea on Bari Reef, [[Bonaire, BES Islands]] thumb|Large cuttlefish Sepia sp. from Komodo National Park thumb|Researching teuthologist, Heather Judkins is a faculty member at University of South Florida (USF). This image is from the USF website, specifically her research lab's website. Teuthology, from Ancient Greek τευθίς (teuthís), meaning "squid", and λόγος (lógos), meaning "study", is the study of cephalopods, which are members of the class Cephalopoda in the phylum Mollusca. Some common ex

branch of zoology that is concerned with the study of vertebrate animals