MAMMALOGY

scientific study of mammals. Human interest in nonhuman mammals dates far back in prehistory, and the modern science of mammalogy has its broad foundation in the knowledge of mammals possessed by all primitive peoples. The ancient Greeks were among the first to write systematically on mammalian natural history, and they knew many mammals not native to Greece; Aristotle recognized that although fishlike in form, whales and dolphins are mammals allied to terrestrial furbearers. Until the late 18th century much scientific work on mammals was devoted to taxonomy or to the practical matters of animal husbandry. The scientific explorations of the 19th century resulted in large collections of specimens from virtually all parts of the world. Most of the world's mammal species are believed to be known to science (with the possible exception of a good many bat species), but the biology of many species is totally unknown. Modern mammalogy is a multidisciplinary field, encompassing specialists in anatomy, paleontology, ecology, behaviour, and many other areas. Mammalian taxonomy traditionally relied largely on museum collections of preserved skins (with their skulls), but by the second half of the 20th century additional information was being gained from other studies; e.g., behaviour, cytogenetics, and biochemistry. At mid-20th century a number of new techniques and instruments opened avenues of research to mammalogists that had previously been difficult or impossible. Telemetry, the use of minute radio transmitters to convey information to the researcher from a free-living animal, has been a particularly useful tool, allowing the tracking of the animal in its natural state and the monitoring of physiological information. The self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) has been important in many aspects of marine mammalogy.