ZOOGEOGRAPHY

The zoogeografía is the scientific discipline which studies how different species of animals are distributed on the surface of the planet. It can be said that zoogeography is part of biogeography , the branch of biology focused on the analysis of the distribution of living things on Earth.

Due to its characteristics, zoogeography can be linked to both zoology and geography. Experts in this specialty are dedicated to studying how the processes that led to a certain location of species in the world originated, as well as studying what factors modify this distribution.

The story is also related to zoogeography. Due to its characteristics, this discipline cannot generate knowledge based on a general principle, but rather has to focus on the changes that occur along a trajectory.

The evolution of species, orogenesis and climatic changes , in this sense, are some of the issues that affect zoogeography. Based on their studies, specialists can explain the migrations of animals and the reasons for the dispersal of species.

As zoogeography has shown, the distribution of animals over the years has changed greatly. For this reason, animals that today are associated with certain territories, in ancient times lived in distant regions. These modifications can be seen by studying fossil remains, for example.

It should be noted that, for statistical purposes, zoogeography divides the planet into several zoogeographic regions according to the existing analogies between different animal populations.

Specifically, we currently find the fact that zoogeography divides the planet into the following regions:

-Paleartic. This is encompassing what is both the northern fringe of the African continent as well as Europe and northern and central Asia. Among the most significant animal species in this area we can highlight the seal, the brown bear, the wolf, the wild boar or the deer, among others.

-Ethiópica, which welcomes Madagascar, the Arabian peninsula of Asia and Africa, except for the area that we have commented that belongs to the previous region. It is made up of animals such as the camel, the chimpanzee, the elephant, the lion or the gorilla, among others.

-Neotropical, which is formed by what is Central and South America. In this case, the most relevant or frequent species are the lizard, the snakes, the puma or the chinchilla.

-Neartic, made up of Greenland and North America. The polar fox, the penguin, the white bear, the seal or the northern duck are the animals that have their habitat in this area.

-Oriental, which includes what is South Asia. In other words, China, India, Indochina and the various archipelagos that surround it are part of this region. In it you can find from hyenas to macaques through rhinos.

-Australian. This, in addition to Australia that gives it its name, is made up of New Zealand, New Guinea and the islands of the South Pacific. It is identified by animals such as the koala, the kangaroo or the platypus.