Ethnozoology

/ˌɛθnoʊzoʊˈɒlədʒi/ noun

Definition

The study of how different cultures understand, use, and classify animals and animal relationships.

Etymology

From Greek ethnos (people) + zoon (animal) + -logia (study of). This emerged as a subdiscipline of ethnobiology to document indigenous and folk knowledge about animals.

Kelly Says

Some cultures recognize animal species and behaviors that Western science missed—like Indigenous Australian knowledge of animal behavior across incredibly diverse ecosystems.

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