ANIMALS

History of Animals (Greek: Τῶν περὶ τὰ ζῷα ἱστοριῶν, Ton peri ta zoia historion, "Inquiries on
Animals"; Latin: Historia Animālium "History of Animals") is one of the major texts on biology by
the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who had studied at Plato's Academy in Athens. It was written
in the fourth century BC; Aristotle died in 322 BC.
Generally seen as a pioneering work of zoology, Aristotle frames his text by explaining that he is
investigating the what (the existing facts about animals) prior to establishing the why (the causes of
these characteristics). The book is thus an attempt to apply philosophy to part of the natural world.
Throughout the work, Aristotle seeks to identify differences, both between individuals and between
groups. A group is established when it is seen that all members have the same set of distinguishing
features; for example, that all birds have feathers, wings, and beaks. This relationship between the
birds and their features is recognized as a universal.
The History of Animals contains many accurate eye-witness observations, in particular of the marine
biology around the island of Lesbos, such as that the octopus had colour-changing abilities and a
sperm-transferring tentacle, that the young of a dogfish grow inside their mother's body, or that the
male of a river catfish guards the eggs after the female has left. Some of these were long considered
fanciful before being rediscovered in the nineteenth century. Aristotle has been accused of making
errors, but some are due to misinterpretation of his text, and others may have been based on genuine
observation. He did however make somewhat uncritical use of evidence from other people, such as
travellers and beekeepers.
The History of Animals had a powerful influence on zoology for some two thousand years. It continued
to be a primary source of knowledge until in the sixteenth century zoologists including Conrad Gessner,
all influenced by Aristotle, wrote their own studies of the subject.
(wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Animals)