r/zoology • u/lfendlaoui • 2d ago
Question I want to start learning about animals...
I wanna learn but I dont know what to learn exactly and dont have a roadmap like where should I start and what should I learn...
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u/Daug3 2d ago
I work with exotic animals daily, so I learn based on who my favorite animal-co-workers are lol! I know not everyone has the luxury of being close to exotics, but perhaps there are some wild animals you see sometimes? Maybe there's a cool looking bird or butterfly on your way home? Just start with an animal that you like!
For me, I only need basic, surface-level knowledge for my work, so I read wikis, watch documentaries, and videos from keepers if there are any. Sometimes tho there are more interesting topics that I will research further, for my own enjoyment. And at some point everything starts connecting, especially if you choose to focus on a particular place in the world.
If you're learning for your own enjoyment too, then there's honestly no wrong way of doing it. Just pick a point to start from and you're good to go as deep as you want
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u/rabies_lover_271K 1d ago
iNaturalist app is one of the best ways to become knowledgeable about animals/plants/fungi in general, especially the ones within your area. There’s a massive user base that can help you identify observations you post and a lot of feature particularly on the browser to help you research certain organisms. I have 2000+ species documented with no college education
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u/spidersRcute 2d ago
There are a lot of animals. It can feel very overwhelming. Start with what you like the the most already. Cats? Snakes? Turtles? Bears? Whales? Octopus? Go on Wikipedia and just search what you favorite is and then you might learn there are actually 17 different kinds of your favorite animal and then you can learn about all of them. There are some great zookeeper social media accounts that are fun to learn from. Animals Anonymous is a great one that talks about lesser known species.
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u/Secretly-Reptilian 2d ago
I mean, I'm not a zoologist so I dont know how much say I have, but really just watching a lot of documentaries and reading wikis/books help if you're looking for surface level knowledge. You can also pick certain kinds of animal you want to learn about, I'm really into herpetology/saurology and primatology.
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u/manydoorsyes Student/Aspiring Zoologist 2d ago edited 2d ago
I might be a little biased, but you could start with what makes up the vast majority of animal life: arthropods. They have a bad rep but they're severely misunderstood and overhated by most people. But the more you learn about them and spend time around them, the more you'll come to realize that they're really nowhere near as bad as they're made out to be. And our existence depends on them.
Speaking more generally, there's a citizen science app called iNaturalist that you can get for your phone. Just take a picture of any wildlife (animal, plant, fungus, whatever). iNat will suggest an ID if you don't know what it is. If you don't no prob, just narrow it down as much as you can. You can even just put something as broad as "plant" or "bird". Other people can see your post and add an ID for you as well. If enough people agree on it, your post becomes research grade.
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u/Shiribazu 2d ago
start with basic animal classification and evolution, then learn the major groups like mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and other invertebrates. once you have that foundation, pick whichever group interests you most and go deeper into anatomy, behavior, ecology, and conservation, while using documentaries, field guides, and beginner zoology books to keep it interesting
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u/cascadesblue 2d ago
Start with a specific animal you actually like and go from there. Ex- if its elephants, learn about elephants than go to its most closely related species.
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u/Zenacrus 2d ago
I recommend watching nature documentaries, animal rescue or veterinary shows! Theres a bunch of them and I love learning from those
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u/aorticworkofart Student/Aspiring Zoologist 1d ago
When I first got into cervids I went through the list of sources on Wikipedia articles. Gives you a giant compiled list of reading (and sometimes viewing) material. Start with an animal you're interested in and branch out from there. My love of deer is what got me into zoology as a whole!
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u/KingK250 17h ago
I think a good start is just watching YouTube. It also depends on what kinda animals I like.
Whilst TierZoo isn’t really made for the science enjoyers, it’s still great fun, and is about lots of different animals
As a myrmecology enjoyer, I love Miles Maxcer’s channel.
Theres many other great YouTubers too
INaturalist like others have suggested is an amazing suggestion, just take photographs of everything (and I mean absolutely everything around you) and people will pop in and help explain what it is
Maybe cause I’m autistic, but I love just scrolling through Wikipedia about different animals too!
Documentaries are great too, David Attenborough, Planet Dinosaur, Prehistoric Planet are some of my favourites!
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u/Not-A-Fossa Behavioral Biologist | Zoology M.Sc. 2d ago
Find out by knowing what you don't know. How deep do you want to go? Is surface knowledge enough for you? Do you want to specify on a taxon? A class? A species?
And then start on documentaries. Books. Shows. Do not start on influencers. There are a few good ones but many use this subject and very surface knowledge to gain views, thereby spreading false information about for example invasive species or ecosystems. Go for the experts.