Paleontology is the study of prehistoric organisms. Paleozoology is a branch of Paleontology that studies fossils found on the earth. Paleontology is the science, while Paleozoology is the study of fossils found on the earth. Paleontology and Paleozoology both study fossils found on the earth, but Paleontology is a broader subject.
Paleontology, the study of prehistoric life, and paleozoology, the branch of evolutionary biology that studies prehistoric life, both draw from the science of paleontology. But what, exactly, are these two fields of study, and how can they help us better understand our planet and its history?
Paleontology
Paleontology is the study of prehistoric life. This includes creatures like dinosaurs, sea monsters, and woolly mammoths, along with how they lived, adapted, and perished. In one study, archaeologists discovered the remains of a new species of giant wombat. It was 1,200 years old and had never been described before.
Paleontology is the scientific study of past life, mostly that which exists in the fossil record. Paleontologists study changes in organisms over time, how organisms are related to each other, and where organisms live. The study of fossils is of interest to biologists, who study how living organisms adapt to their environment. Paleontology is also of interest to archaeologists, who study the evolution of human culture.
Scientists use paleontology to learn about ancient organisms and environments. Paleontologists study fossils to learn about the history of life, and they conduct scientific research on the evolution of living species, as well as on mass extinctions. Paleontologists have also studied how certain organisms adapted to the changing environment.
This includes the study of organisms and environments, as well as the development of techniques for dating fossils. It is a vast field covering everything from the evolution of life, the history of life on Earth, and the plants and animals of distinct habitat types.
They look at how these ancient creatures lived, how they died, how they laid their eggs, how they cared for their young, and what they ate, amongst other things.
It’s one of the three major branches of biology, along with biology and biochemistry. Paleontologists study fossils to learn how organisms lived in the past, how they changed over time, and how those changes affected life on Earth.
Paleontology encompasses a wide range of disciplines, from studying the fossils themselves (the process of which is known as paleontology), to tracing their evolutionary history (often referred to as phylogeny), to learning how to interpret the fossils in light of their evolutionary relationships (the act of which is called comparative zoology). Paleobotany, the study of past plants and animals, is the oldest branch subdivided into paleobotany, paleoecology, paleontology, and paleozoology.
Paleo-Zoology
Paleo-Zoology is the study of prehistoric animals. Paleo means “ancient,” and zoology refers to the study of animals. Paleozoologists focus on the animals alive during a particular era, such as the Paleocene, Eocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene periods. As with most fields of study, Paleo-Zoology involves interpreting rock layers to infer the environments in which the animals lived.
Paleo-zoology is the study of animals, from mammals and birds to reptiles, amphibians, and fishes, that lived before the agricultural revolution. Paleo-zoology is based on the idea that early humans did not heavily impact the Earth’s ecology, so overall, animals went about their lives relatively undisturbed. In other words, the theory states that most fossils of animals from before 10,000 years ago are of animals that humans never have domesticated. While paleo-zoology isn’t its own discipline, it’s used in the fields of paleontology and biology to understand prehistoric life.
Paleo and zoology are two words that would never collide unless they were on the same label. But in reality, Paleo is more than a few keywords. It’s a lifestyle encompassing our primal eating habits and practices, leading to a natural connection with the animals we once hunted and gathered with.
Paleo-Zoology is a discipline that combines paleozoology, the study of extinct animals, and paleobiology, the study of how animals adapt to their environments, with the paleo diet. Paleozoology focuses on the evolution of ancient extinct animals, while paleobiology studies how animals adapt to their environments, what they eat, how they reproduce, and how they die. Paleozoology and paleobiology both require a large amount of field research, as animals only respond to their environments in their natural habitat.
Today, Americans face more environmental dangers than ever before due to our high consumption of fossil fuels, pesticides, herbicides, and artificial fertilizers. These toxins are threatening the health of pets and humans alike, which is why paleo-zoology became a major field of study in the Paleo movement. Paleo-zoology is the study of the Dino-diet—the diet that ancient humans ate millions of years ago—and includes the study of fossilized plants and animals. Paleo-zoologists study how changes in diet affect the evolution of plants and animals and how changes to the environment affect the evolution of both plants and animals.