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zoology

(Encyclopedia)zoology, branch of biology concerned with the study of animal life. From earliest times animals have been vitally important to man; cave art demonstrates the practical and mystical significance animal...

nymph, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)nymph, in zoology: see insect.

ounce, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)ounce, in zoology: see leopard.

phoebe, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)phoebe, in zoology: see flycatcher. ...

hamadryad, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)hamadryad, in zoology: see cobra.

argonaut, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)argonaut, in zoology: see paper nautilus. ...

medusa, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)medusa, in zoology, scientific name for the jellyfish, i.e., the free-swimming stage of various animals in the phylum Cnidaria. See polyp and medusa. ...

kite, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)kite, in zoology, common name for a bird of the family Accipitridae, which also includes the hawk. Kites are found near water and marshes in warm parts of the world. They prey chiefly on reptiles, fro...

horn, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)horn, in zoology, one of a pair of structures projecting from the head of a hoofed animal, used chiefly as a weapon. In cattle, sheep, Old World antelopes, and related animals the horns are permanent ...

scale, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)scale, in zoology, an outgrowth, either bony or horny, of the skin of an animal. The major component of the scales of fishes is bone, and they are formed directly in the skin membrane as the fish grow...