Zoologists and Zoos

Zoologists...

Just so you can browse our site with expert knowledge, better count the "o's". We are "zo"-ologists (as in "go zo") not "zoo"-ologists ("who?"). For you etymologists "zoo" actually is a mispronounced abbreviation for "zoological park" (zo-, Greek for alive; zoion an animal). "Zoology" is the study of animals, at all levels, from cells through populations. It is a subdivision of "Biology", which encompasses all life (animals, plants, fungi, microbes).

On this campus we slice biology "vertically" into departments representing groups of organisms (zoology, botany, etc.), but we also have a number of "horizontally" interactive groups and degree programs that unite the departments conceptually. Find out more about these related fields and departments and about undergraduate and graduate programs in zoology.

If it's career information that interests you, look at some links.

So, though we're not a zoo we love animals and want to know what makes them tick (or chirp). Find out what animals we study and what we study about them.

If you are really into zoos (as are most zoologists, incidentally), check out the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Oregon.