The Animal Kingdom: A Very Short Introduction

• Provides a summary of the modern understanding of the animal world and its evolution
• Shows how DNA studies have revolutionized the classification of animals
• Discusses key topics in zoology such as modern evolutionary trees and the origin of animals
• Part of the Very Short Introductions series - over three million copies sold worldwide

Readership: Ideal for students of life sciences and related fields, as well as general readers interested in the modern biological understanding of animals.

Peter Holland, Linacre Professor of Zoology, The University of Oxford

Peter Holland is Linacre Professor of Zoology and Head of the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford. After a degree in Zoology and a PhD in Genetics he has spent the last 20 years undertaking research into the evolution of the animal kingdom, focussing primarily on the genetic and developmental differences between animal groups. He has published over 150 research papers on animal development and evolution.

1: What is an animal?
2: Animal phyla
3: The evolutionary tree of animals
4: Basal animals: corals, sponges and jellyfish
5: The bilaterians: building a body
6: Lophotrochozoa: wondrous worms
7: Ecdysozoa: insects and nematodes
8: Deuterostomes I: starfish, sea squirts and amphioxus
9: Deuterostomes II: the rise of vertebrates
10: Deuterostomes III: vertebrates on land
11: Enigmatic animals
Further reading