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Zoology Terminology

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Zoology Terminology

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Zoology, a branch of biology is the study of animals. Zoology includes the study of animal kingdom including animal anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, genetics, ecology, behavior, conservation, structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology Terminology chapter lists all the important terms that are prominently used in the study of animal kingdom in Zoology.

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Zoologists study subjects ranging from single-celled organisms to the behavior of groups of animals. The table below lists all the important Zoology Terminology in the alphabetical order.

Term Definition
Actin It is one of the two proteins in the muscles.
Adrenal gland It is the pair of important glands present by the side of the kidneys in higher animals.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome AIDS is a disease caused by a virus which inactivates the immune system in the body.
Albumin It is one of a group of simple water soluble globular proteins present widely in milk.
Alimentary canal It is a tube in multicellular animals through which food is taken into the body, digested and absorbed by the cells.
Allergy It is hypersensitivity.
Amoeba It is a unicellular fresh water organism, it is a simple Protozoan and has no definite shape.
Anaemia It is a condition marked by low hemoglobin content of the blood.
Androgen It is a class of male sex hormones chiefly produced in the testis.
Anthropology It is the study of human species in all its aspects including evolution, culture and population dynamics.
Antibodies It is a group of specific Proteins produced by mammals to defend themselves from foreign organisms or chemicals.
Anticoagulant It is a chemical that can prevent blood from clotting for example heparin.
Antiemetic It is a substance which inhibits vomiting.
Annelida It is a group of invertebrates like earthworms, which have long, cylindrical, segmented bodies.
Aorta It is the main artery leading out of heart carrying oxygenated blood.
Appendicitis It is the inflammation of the appendix.
Arboreal These are the organisms that spend most or all of their lives among the branches of trees.
Artery It is the blood vessel carrying blood away from the heart.
Arthritis It is the painful inflammation of bone joints.
Autograft It is grafting of one tissue to another tissue of the same organisms.

Term Definition
Bacteria It is a class of extremely small relatively simple micro-organism.
Blood Clotting It is the solidification of blood.

Term Definition
Carcinogen Any substance or agent capable of causing cancer.
Carnivorous It is a mode of living by which animals and plants survive by eating the flesh of other animals.
Chyme It is the partially digested food after leaving the stomach.
Circumcision It is the surgical removal or excision of the foreskin covering the male or female genital organs.
Cirrhosis It is a progressively inflammation disease of the live in which the liver cells are destroyed.
Clone It is parthenogenetic or asexual descendants from a single individual, all having the same genetic constitution.
Cretin Victim of severe congenital thyroid deficiency, causing physical and mental retardation.

Term Definition
Elephantiasis It is a diseased state which constitutes one of the manifestations of filariasis.
Encephalitis It is inflammation of the brain.
Endocrine glands These are ductless glands which produce hormones which pass directly into the blood.
Endocrinology It is the study of endocrine glands and their products.
Entomology It is the study of insects.
Epidemic The term is used to describe a disease which spread quickly to affect a large proportion of the population.
Ergonomics It is the study relating to efficient use of human energy.
Ethnology It is the science dealing with the various races of mankind, their distribution, relationship, culture and activities.
Eugenics It is the science dealing with the selective genetic improvement of the human race.
Euthanasia It is painless killing of a person or animal suffering from an incurable disease.
Expectorants The drugs which promote or increase the elimination of secretion from the respiratory tract by coughing.

Term Definition
Filariasis It is an infestation with parasitic threadworm-like worms.
Foetus It is a mammalian embryo on its late stages when the main features are clearly recognizable.

Term Definition
Gallbladder It is a small pouch-like organ that stores bile secreted from liver. Most vertebrates have gall bladders.
Genetic code It is a sequence of bases along the DNA molecule.
Genetic engineering It is a technique of altering the genetic makeup of an organism to suit a specific purpose.
Gerontology It is the scientific study of again.
Gestation period It is the period during which an embryo develops in the uterus of a mammal, from the time, of conception to birth.
Gland It is an organ which secretes specific chemical compounds such as enzymes or hormones.
Glaucoma It is an eye disease characterized by increased pressure of the fluid with in the eye.
Gout It is a chronic disease that can produce severe swelling of the joints.
Gynaecology It is the branch of medical science dealing with diseases of women, particularly those affecting reproductive organs.

Term Definition
Haematology It is the science dealing with the formation, composition, functions and disease of blood.
Haemoglobin It is the iron-containing, red, respiratory pigment of vertebrates and a few invertebrates that transports oxygen.
Haemophilia It is an inherited disease in which the blood fails to clot.
Hay fever It is a form of allergy that affects the nose and throat due to sensitivity to certain plant pollens
Heat stroke A condition caused by overexposure to the sun.
Hapatitis It is acute or chronic viral inflammation of the liver.
Herbivore It is a plant eating organism.
Hibernation It is a condition of dormancy in animals to protect themselves against cold and study food scarcity during winter.
Histology It is the biological science that deals with the study of structure of tissues.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) It is a virus that causes AIDS.
Homograft It is a tissue or organ which is transplanted from one individual to another of the same species.
Hormone It is a chemical messenger produced by endocrine glands in animals and secreted directly into the bloodstream.
Hybrid It is the offspring of parents of different races, varieties or species.
Hymen It is a fold of mucous membrane which normally partially covers the entrance to the vagina.
Hypnosis It is a temporary condition of altered attention in an individual.
Hysteria It is a psychological disorder, in which a person has physical complaints when no physical cause can be found.

Term Definition
Immunity It is an inbuilt defence mechanism by which vertebrates can resist infection caused by parasitic microorganisms or their products.
Inbreeding It is reproduction by the mating of closely related individuals.
Incubation period It is the interval between exposure to a disease and its appearance.
Insemination It is the introduction of semen and spermatozoa into the female genital tract.
Insulin It is a protein. Hormone produced by the Islets of Langerhans, a part of the endocrine gland pancreas.
Invertebrate It is a collective terms for all animals which do not have a backbone or vertebral column.

Term Definition
Jaundice It is a condition characterised by yellowness of the skin, whites of eyes, mucous membranes and body fluids.

Term Definition
Keratitis It is an inflammation involving the cornea of the eyes.

Term Definition
Leukemia It is a kind of cancer in which certain white blood cells grow in an uncontrollable manner.
Lipid It is one of a large group of oily or fatty substances essential for good health.

Term Definition
Mammal It is an animal.
Mastectomy It is surgical removal of the breast. Usually carried out in the case of patients suffering from breast cancer.
Membrane It is a sheetlike tissue covering biological cells.
Metamorphosis It describes a change in an animal.
Motor nerve It is nerve which conveys an impulse directly to a muscle and causes it to contract.
Muscular dystrophy It is a hereditary disease which progressively damaged muscle fibres and eventually destroys them.

Term Definition
Necrosis These are changes in the tissue brought about by the local death of cells.
Nematode It is a class of elongated roundworms.
Neuron It is an elongated greyish or reddish cell that is the basic functional unit of the nervous system.
Nocturnal It is active at night e.g. bats.

Term Definition
Obesity It is overweight of the body due to excessive accumulates in body tissues causing overall swelling.
Odontology It is a branch of science dealing with the study of teeth.
Oedema It is a condition in which excess of fluid accumulates in body tissues causing overall swelling.
Oedipus complex It is an abnormal both plant and animal material.
Omnivore It is an organism that can eat both plant and animal material.
Orgasm It is a state of highly emotional excitement that occurs at the climax of sexual intercourse.
Oral Rehydration Solution It is prepared by dissolving a pinch of salt and a little sugar in a glass of clean water.
Ossification It is the process of bone formation.
Osteoporosis It is a condition in which bones become thin and brittle due to loss of calcium.
Ovulation It is the release of a mature egg from the ovary during the menstrual cycle.

Term Definition
Pancreas It is a tongue-shaped organ that lies behind the stomach and produces two types of secretions.
Paralysis Any condition in which the ability to control the movement of a limb or a muscles is lost.
Pathogen Any micro-organism that causes disease.
Platelet It is a tiny, disc-shaped body present in blood which plays an important role in blood clotting.
Puberty It is the period of life when the gonads become functional i.e. an individuals becomes sexually mature.
Protoplasm It is the living material within a cell including the Mitochondria, ribosomes and chromosomes.
Pulmonary artery It is the blood vessel that carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs. It is the only artery that carries oxygen depleted blood.
Pulmonary vein It is the blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood from lungs to the heart. It is the only vein in the body that carries oxygenated blood.

Term Definition
Ruminants These are grazing mammals that chew cud and have split hooves, for example, ox, sheep, cow, camel and goat

Term Definition
Scabies It is a contagious skin disease caused by a microscopic mite Sarcoptes scabiei.
Schizophrenia It is a severe mental disease characterised by unpredictable disturbances in thinking where the individual withdraws from reality and begins thinking in illogical and confused patterns.
Senescence It is the process of growing old; the period of old age.
Serum It is liquid portion that remains after blood clots, and the blood cells and clotting elements are removed by centrifugation
Silicosis It is a lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust.
Spinal cord It is that portion of the central nervous system behind or below the brain and beyond the confines of the skull.
Sterile It is a word which describes something that is completely free from bacteria and other micro-organisms.

Term Definition
Transfusion It is the transfer of blood or plasma from one individual to another.
Tumour It is an uncontrolled growth of cells resulting in a large mass.

Term Definition
Umbilical cord It is a connective cord that links the unborn infant or foetus with the mother.

Term Definition
Vasectomy It is a surgical operation for closing up of vas deferens, the tube which carries sperms from the testis to the prostate gland from where they are carried outside along with other secretions.
Vector It is an agent which carries infectious organisms from an infected individual to another.
Vein It is a blood vessel which carries blood from different parts of the body to the heart. All veins except the pulmonary veins pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood from lungs to the heart.
Vertebrate Any animal having a backbone or vertebral column.

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Yeast It is a collective name for unicellular fungi.

Term Definition