History of Animals
<p><i><b>History of Animals</b></i> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language" title="Greek language">Greek</a>: Τῶν περὶ τὰ ζῷα ἱστοριῶν "Inquiries on Animals"; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Latin language">Latin</a>: <i>Historia Animālium</i> "History of Animals") is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_history" title="Natural history">natural history</a> text by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greece" title="Ancient Greece">ancient Greek</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy" title="Philosophy">philosopher</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle" title="Aristotle">Aristotle</a>, who had studied at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato%27s_Academy" class="mw-redirect" title="Plato's Academy">Plato's Academy</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens" title="Athens">Athens</a>. It was written in the fourth century BC; Aristotle died in 322 BC.
Generally seen as a pioneering work of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoology" title="Zoology">zoology</a>, Aristotle frames his text by explaining that he is investigating the <i>what</i> (the existing facts about animals) prior to establishing the <i>why</i> (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 <i>History of Animals</i> 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 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Gessner" title="Conrad Gessner">Conrad Gessner</a>, all influenced by Aristotle, wrote their own studies of the subject.</p>