Biology Stack Exchange
Biology Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [zoology]

The biological study of animals. Very broad use so be sure to add additional clarifying tags

A field of biology focused on the study of the animal kingdom. Includes study of, but not limited to, natural history, ecology, anatomy, physiology, ethology (behavior), embryology, distributions, classification and evolutionary biology. Questions should explicitly seek answers on the biology of animals.

Zoology is a very broad field, so more focused tags should be included when using the zoology tag. Commonly paired tags with zoology include , , , , , and .

The study of specific animal groups also typically have dedicated tags: (/)

See also:

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Does the string "...CATCAT..." appear in the DNA of Felis catus?

In Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (GEB), the following claim appears: ...in the species Felis catus, deep probing has revealed that it is indeed possible to read the phenotype directly off the genotype. The reader will…
skytreader
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Do animals exhibit handedness (paw-ness?) preference?

I have been observing my cat and found that when confronted with an unknown item, she will always use her front left paw to touch it. This has me wondering if animals exhibit handedness like humans do? (and do I have a left handed cat?) One note of…
Thomas
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Why shouldn't dogs eat chocolate?

I was wondering why dogs shouldn't eat chocolate. Can't dogs just excrete the indigestible component in their droppings? It's common knowledge that dogs shouldn't eat chocolate. What I don't know is why chocolate would kill them, from a specifically…
rockinboy3303
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Why are there no wheeled animals?

In physics, "almost everything is already discovered, and all that remains is to fill a few unimportant holes." (See Jolly.) Therefore, on Physics SE, people are veering off into different directions: biology, for example. Thus, it happens that a…
user3395
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Why do smaller mammals move intermittently?

I was watching a nice little video on youtube but couldn't help but notice how snappy smaller animals such as rats and chipmunks move. By snappy I mean how the animal moves in almost discrete states pausing between each movement. Is this a trivial…
Fraïssé
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Why do men have nipples?

I'd be tempted to call nipples in men vestigial, but that suggests they have no modern function. They do have a function, of course, but only in women. So why do men (and all male mammals) have them?
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Do large animals experience a meaningful delay when moving their most distant appendages?

According to the Physics Factbook, nerve impulses travel at speeds anywhere from 1 meter per second up to around 100 meters per second. Blue whales reach up to around 30 meters long. For a full-size blue whale, this means that a nerve impulse to…
Tal
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Help identifying leaf-like bone

I found two of these objects near a creek in Missouri. They feel like they are made out of bone but they do not look like any bone I have seen before. They also appear as though the could be some sort of plant part. I am having a very difficult time…
Llew
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Are there any animals that are both poisonous and venomous?

From my layman understanding, animals that inject venom into the bloodstream by biting or poking are venomous. And ones that harm you when you eat them are poisonous. Are there any animals (or plants) that fit both descriptions? I'm guessing eating…
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How do cockroaches resist the effects of ionizing radiation?

Cockroaches are very hardy insects. It is known that, among other things, they are able to withstand bursts of ionizing radiation that would kill a human being. The explanations of this observed resistance I've seen include cell division not being…
user132
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Why do ants live so long?

I was surprised to learn that worker ants in some species live many years. I would have expected a lifespan of a few weeks or months (which is apparently the case for many species). What factors might account for the length (and/or variation) in…
yep
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How does a baby deer stand the day it's born?

I know most creatures take time to learn some things. Birds take some time to fly. Human beings take some time walk or stand. But in the case of the deer species, it's different. It can stand the same day it's born. Why is this so?
user30021
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Insect identification - Is this a bedbug?

This bug was found on a couch in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The couch, and the two beds in the room show no signs of other bugs. Is this a bed bug that I should worry about or something harmless? It was slightly larger than a common tick.
Nick Criswell
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Do homing pigeons fly straight home or follow certain "highways"?

Homing pigeons (Columba livia) have been prized for their navigational abilities for thousands of years. They’ve served as messengers during war, as a means of long-distance communication, and as prized athletes in international races. (Source) Do…
Katai
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Why do parasites sometimes kill their hosts?

It's bothered me for a while now. I understand why a parasitoid would do this, as it only temporarily requires the host, and that not all parasites kill their hosts. There seems to be no evolutionary advantage in killing a host, because the parasite…
James
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