"Palaeozoology, also spelled as Paleozoology, is the branch of paleontology, paleobiology, or zoology dealing with the recovery and identification of multicellular animal remains from geological (or even archeological) contexts, and the use of these fossils in the reconstruction of prehistoric environments and ancient ecosystems."
The study of ancient animal life.
Strata and Stratigraphy: The basic principles of rock formation and relative dating methods using stratigraphy.
Fossils: Understanding the nature of fossils and how they are formed, preserved, and used in paleozoological research.
Evolution: Fundamental principles of evolution and how it works in the context of paleozoology.
Taxonomy: Understanding how to identify and classify different species of organisms found in the fossil record.
Paleobiology: Understanding the biology of extinct organisms and how it differed from modern organisms.
Biogeography: Understanding the distribution of species in the past and how they evolved and spread across the globe.
Climate: Understanding how climate can affect the evolution and extinction of species over time.
Taphonomy: The study of how organisms become fossilized and how this impacts our understanding of the fossil record.
Comparative Anatomy: Studying the anatomical differences and similarities between extinct and modern organisms.
Archaeology: Understanding how paleozoological research can inform archaeological investigations, particularly in reconstructing ancient environments and human activities.
Paleoecology: The study of the interactions between ancient organisms and their environments.
Biostratigraphy: The use of fossils to determine the relative ages of rocks and other geologic materials.
Paleozoogeography: The study of how animals evolved and migrated across the planet during the Paleozoic Era.
Micropaleontology: The study of ancient microorganisms such as bacteria, algae, and protozoans.
Paleobotany: The study of ancient plant life and their relationships with other organisms.
Palynology: The study of ancient pollen and spores.
Ichnology: The study of ancient tracks, burrows, and other traces left behind by prehistoric animals.
Taphonomy: The study of how fossils are preserved and the processes that affect their appearance.
Evolutionary paleontology: The study of the evolution of organisms over time.
Paleoanthropology: The study of ancient human and primate fossils and their place in human evolution.
"Definitive, macroscopic remains of these metazoans are found in the fossil record..."
"...although they do not become common until the Late Devonian period in the latter half of the Paleozoic era."
"Perhaps the best known macrofossils group is the dinosaurs. Other popularly known animal-derived macrofossils include trilobites, crustaceans, echinoderms, brachiopods, mollusks, bony fishes, sharks, Vertebrate teeth, and shells of numerous invertebrate groups."
"This is because hard organic parts, such as bones, teeth, and shells resist decay, and are the most commonly preserved and found animal fossils."
"Exclusively soft-bodied animals—such as jellyfish, flatworms, nematodes, and insects—are consequently rarely fossilized, as these groups do not produce hard organic parts."
"Greek: παλαιόν, palaeon 'old' and ζῷον, zoon 'animal'"
"Paleozoology is a branch of paleontology, paleobiology, or zoology."
"...the use of these fossils in the reconstruction of prehistoric environments and ancient ecosystems."
"Definitive, macroscopic remains of these metazoans are found in the fossil record from the Ediacaran period of the Neoproterozoic era onwards..."
"...until the Late Devonian period in the latter half of the Paleozoic era."
"...the recovery and identification of multicellular animal remains..."
"...hard organic parts, such as bones, teeth, and shells resist decay, and are the most commonly preserved and found animal fossils."
"...they do not become common until the Late Devonian period in the latter half of the Paleozoic era."
"...trilobites, crustaceans, echinoderms, brachiopods, mollusks, bony fishes, sharks, Vertebrate teeth, and shells of numerous invertebrate groups."
"...shells of numerous invertebrate groups."
"Exclusively soft-bodied animals—such as jellyfish, flatworms, nematodes, and insects—are consequently rarely fossilized, as these groups do not produce hard organic parts."
"Definitive, macroscopic remains of these metazoans are found in the fossil record..."
"...from the Ediacaran period of the Neoproterozoic era onwards..."
"...the use of these fossils in the reconstruction of prehistoric environments and ancient ecosystems."