COURSE CODE: BIO 004
COURSE TITLE: FUNDAMENTALS OF
ZOOLOGY
TOPIC: DIVERSITY AND GENERAL
CHARACTERISTICS OF ANIMALS
TUTOR: MR OLALEKAN OLAWALE
4TH MARCH, 2025
LESSON OUTLINE
Meaning of Zoology
Branches of Zoology
Zoology Disciplines
General Characteristics of Animals
Animal Diversity, Habitats and Categories
Zoology is the branch of biology that deals with
the study of animals.
It is the science that studies a major group of
living and once – living organisms, animals.
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms
that lack cell wall and are heterotrophs.
They ingest food (feed on plants or on other
animals), are motile in nature (except in certain
life stages) and reproduce sexually.
There are 3 – 10 million species of animals in
which about 1.5 million species are identified.
Classified into 35 current phyla.
Phylum arthropoda = 1.2 million + named
species.
Mammals represent only about 5,000 named
species.
BRANCHES OF ZOOLOGY
Structural Zoology: Morphology, Anatomy, Histology (histos
– tissues), Cytology (cells).
Developmental Zoology: Embryology, Ontogeny (study of
individual from birth to death), Genetics.
Functional Zoology: Animal physiology, Animal
behaviour/Ethology
Systematic/Taxonomy (Classification, naming and describing
of animals): Protozoology (protozoa), Entomology (insects),
Conchology (shells), Malacology (molluscs), Herpetology
(reptiles/amphibians), Ornithology (birds), Ichthyology
(fishes), Helminthology (worms), Mammalogy.
BRANCHES OF ZOOLOGY…
Medical Zoology: Parasitology (study of parasite and the
host relationship), Pathology.
Distributional Zoology: Zoogeography (distribution of
animals), Ecology.
Historical Zoology: Paleontology (fossils and remains of
extinct animals), Phylogeny (origin of species), Evolution
Specialized fields of Zoology: Molecular Zoology, Cell
biology.
ZOOLOGY DISCIPLINES
There are numerous disciplines in Zoology. Some of them are:
Comparative Anatomy: the study of structures and functions of
various animal groups.
Taxonomy: the science of finding, describing and classifying animals.
Entomology: the study of insects.
Ichthyology: the study of fish.
Herpetology: the study of reptiles and amphibians.
Ethology: the study of animal behaviour.
Malacology: the study of molluscs.
Myrmecology: the study of ants.
Helminthology: the study of worms.
Protozoology: the study of protozoa
Importance Of Zoology
Zoology and our food: Many of us take eggs and meat of different animals,
milk of cows and buffaloes. The study of zoology helps us to increase the
number and improve the quality of animas that give us eggs, meat and milk.
Zoology and industry: From animals, we get many things of daily use e,.g
leather, horn, shells, honey, wax, pearls etc.
Zoology and Agriculture: A study of zoology helps us to understand properly,
the life of many insects that harm our crops and enables us to control them
to a large extent.
Zoology and Human diseases: Many diseases are due to animals which cause
and transmit them. The drugs to use are tested on animals before human
use. Also, knowledge of human physiology and surgery has come from
experiments and dissections of other animals.
Zoology and Improvement of human race: With the study of genetics, human
race can be improved a lot. It gives us insight of our heredity.
Zoology and Mental improvement: many people believe that the bit of all
snakes is deadly and lizards are poisonous but the study of zoology tells us
that only a few snakes are poisonous and lizards are not poisonous.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
ANIMALS
The classifications of animals under the kingdom Animalia
depend chiefly upon the general characteristics, some of
which are:
1. Movement
Most animals are capable of complex and relatively rapid
movement compared to plants and other organisms
Organisms that live rooted to one spot are sessile and those
that move around are motile.
Even the most sessile animals can move at least part of their
bodies.
This movement is dependent on how animals obtain food.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANIMALS…
2. Body Size: All animals have definite size and shape. This
ranges from one–celled (microscopic) to simple multicellular
(mesozoans) to complex multicellular animals (metazoans).
3. Animal Reproduction – Asexual reproduction is the prevailing
type of reproduction especially among the microscopic and
primitive animals. This includes binary and multiple fissions,
budding, and fragmentation. Most other animals reproduce
sexually, by means of differentiated haploid cells (eggs and
sperm).
There are several forms of sexual reproduction, such as
autogamy, syngamy, and conjugation, among others.
Most animals are diploid, meaning that the cells of adults contain
two copies of the genetic material.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANIMALS…
4. Body symmetry: Symmetry vs. Asymmetry
Asymmetry: absence of a central point of axis such as the
primitive animals. E.g Sponges, they cannot be divided into two
equivalent parts in any plane.
Symmetry: describes how parts of an animal are arranged
around a point or axis.
Types of symmetry:
Radial: Capable of being halved in many planes. Any plane
passing through the central axis divides the animal into mirror
images. Animals with radial symmetry are usually sessile, free-
floating, or weakly swimming. For examples, Coelentrates,
Echinoderms, Ctenophores.
Bilateral: Capable of being halved in one and only one plane, divides
the animal into right and left mirror images.
This symmetry provides balance that aids movement.
The evolution of bilateral symmetry allowed body parts to become
specialized.
The most important specialization is the concentration of the sense
organs in the anterior part of the body and the development of the
brain here.
The bilateral symmetrical animal is able to detect external stimuli
more efficiently and respond to them quickly.
Advantages of bilateral symmetry:
This body plan works well for animals, if a body part is damaged, the
animal can rely on an identical part on its other side.
This symmetry provides balance that aids movement.
Anterior and dorsal defenses such as bones, shells, and horns protect
delicate internal organs
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANIMALS…
5. Body Design:
1. Sac–Like: A few primitive animals have a sac-like body
with a single opening (mouth) leading to the gut cavity. Such
an animal takes in food and get rid of wastes through this
opening.
2. Tube–Like: Majority of animals have tubular body with a
gut cavity that opens at the anterior and the posterior ends
of the body. Such an animal takes in food through the
anterior opening (mouth) and eliminates undigested food
through the posterior opening (anus).
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANIMALS…
6. Body Cavity:
A. Diploblastic Organization: Body parts organized into
layers derived from two tissue layers
Ectoderm – gives rise to epidermis
Endoderm – gives rise to gastrodermis
The body is at tissue level of organization. The phyla
included are Cnidarians (Coelentrata) and Ctenophora with
examples Jellyfish, Star fish, Hydra.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANIMALS…
Body Cavity:
B. Triploblastic Animals: Tissues derived from three
embryonic
layers. Ectoderm, Mesoderm and Endoderm. Cells are
organized beyond tissue level into organ, and organ into
organ-system.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANIMALS…
Animals with three germ layers are further subdivided into:
Acoelomates (with no body cavity). Included phylum is
Platyhelmintes.
Pseudocoelomates (with a false body cavity): this body cavity
(pseudocoelom) is partially lined with mesoderm-derived cells
known as mesodermal peritoneum. Included phyla are
Nematoda, Rotifera.
Coelomates (with true body cavity – coelom). It is completely
lined by mesoderm-derived cells. Most animals are
coelomates.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANIMALS…
7. Circulatory System: There are two types of circulatory
framework –
Open Type: In this type, the blood is pumped out of the heart.
E.g Mollusca and Arthropods.
Closed Type: In this type, blood flows through a progression of
vessles, i.e capillaries, arteries and veins.
8. Digestive System: There are two types of digestive systems –
Complete: Two openings are present – mouth and anus. E.g
Chordates and Arthropods.
Incomplete: Only one opening to the outside is present. It serves
as both rear-end and mouth. E.g Platyhelminthes
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANIMALS…
9. Nutrition: Animals possess heterotrophic mode of
nutrition since they lack chlorophyll.
10. Growth: It occurs equally on all parts of the body but
limited.
11. Sensitivity: Rapid response to external stimuli with well-
developed sense organs.
12. Eukaryotes: Cells contain membrane-enclosed nuclei.
13. Cells lack cell wall.
ANIMAL DIVERSITY, HABITAT AND CATEGORIES
Due to diversification among the animals, the zoologists have
categorized the animal kingdom into the following criterions:
1. On the basis of habitat: Animals are of different types
such as:
Terrestrial: They live on land, e.g. Cockroach, Toad, Goat,
Cow, Tiger, Man.
Aquatic: They live in water. Aquatic animals are of two types:
i. Fresh water animal: Hydra, turtle, crocodile
ii. Marine animal: Whale, Dolphin, Jellyfish, Shark, Starfish and
Coral.
Flying: These animals can fly in the sky.
Tree-living or Arboreal: They live on trees.
ANIMAL DIVERSITY, HABITAT AND CATEGORIES…
Desert dweller: They are animals of the desert, e.g. Camel.
Boreal: Rat, Fox, Platypus, some species of snakes, Earth
worms etc.
Polar dweller: Some animals live in the Polar Regions, e.g.
White bear, Antelope and Penguin.
Forest dweller: Tiger, Bear, Monkey, Deer, Peacock, various
species of Snakes and Birds, Boar, wild Buffalo etc. They live
in deep forest.
Mountain dweller: Gayal, Mountain goat, Elephant etc, are
animals living in mountain areas.
ANIMAL DIVERSITY, HABITAT AND CATEGORIES…
2. On the basis of habits: On the basis of habits animals
are of two types; mainly:
Diurnal: They are active during day timer e.g. Deer,
Squirrel, Cow, Horse, Duck, Hen, Vulture, Butterflies,
Hoppers, Eagle etc.
Nocturnal: These animals are active during night time,
e.g. Tiger, Fox, Owl, Moths, Shrew, etc.
ANIMAL DIVERSITY, HABITAT AND CATEGORIES…
3. On the basis of feeding habits: Animals are mainly of
three types:
Herbivorous: These animals eat grass or other plant
materials, e.g. Goat, Sheep, Cattle, Elephant, Horse, Rabbit,
Guinea pig, etc.
Carnivorous: They are generally predacious and feed on
animals, e.g. Tiger, Lion, Jackal, Vulture, Hawk, Hyena, etc.
Omnivorous: Animals of this category eat all kinds of food,
e.g. Cockroach, Crow, domestic Dog, Cat and Man.
ANIMAL DIVERSITY, HABITAT AND CATEGORIES…
4. On the basis of nutrition:
Holozoic or heterotrophic or zootrophic: For nutrition they
depend upon plants or animals, because they cannot prepare
their own food. Heterotrophic animals are again mainly of three
types:
Scavengers: They get their food from dead plants and
animals, e.g. Cockroach, Crow, Vulture, Hyena etc.
Parasites: They take nutrients from other organisms i.e. the
host's body. They are smaller in size than the hosts. They live
outside or inside the host body e.g. Round worm (internal
parasite of human body) and pediculus (external parasite).
Predators: They are generally bigger in size than their prey
animals. They kill their hunts and eat their flesh e.g. Tiger,
Lion, Jackal, Wolf, etc.
ANIMAL DIVERSITY, HABITAT AND CATEGORIES…
5. On the basis of the presence or absence of vertebral
column: Depending on the presence or absence of vertebral
column in animal body, animals can be divided into two
principal groups. Such as:
Invertebrates: Earthworm, Cockroach, Roundworm, Jelly fish,
Starfish, Octopus, Snail, Oyster, Hookworm etc, are the
animals without backbones.
Vertebrates: Embryonic notochord (an identifying character of
the phylum chordata) of these animals transforms into
vertebral column when fully formed, e.g. Fishes, Amphibians,
Reptiles, Birds and Mammals. Vertebrate animals have been
placed in the subphylum vertebrata under the phylum
chordata.
ANIMAL DIVERSITY, HABITAT AND CATEGORIES…
6. On the basis of economic importance: Animals can be
divided into two main groups:
Beneficial animals: There are many worms, insects, birds, in
the world which benefit man in various ways directly or
indirectly, e.g. Bee, Silk worm, various species of fresh water
and marine Fishes, Dog, Cat, Goat, Cow, Horse, Elephant,
various species of birds etc.
Harmful Animals: Many animals do harm to man directly or
indirectly, e.g. Mosquito, Fly, White ant, Ribbon worm, Round
worm, Snakes, Rat, Tiger, Lion etc.
