What is Comparative anatomy?
[[File:Cuvier elephant jaw.jpg|thumb|Figure of the jaw of an Indian elephant and the fossil jaw of a mammoth from Cuvier's 1798–99 paper on living and fossil elephants]] '''Comparative anatomy''' is the scientific comparison of [[animal]] [[body|bodies]]. The purpose of comparative anatomy is to see their working structure, and to decide upon the [[phylogenetic]] relationships between different groups of animals. The separation of animals into [[phyla]] is done mainly by comparative anatomy: see [[List of animal phyla]]. The main techniques used are [[dissect|dissection]] and [[microscope|microscopy]]. '''Dissection''' is an [[Ancient history|ancient]] method used to find out the inside [[structure]] of a living thing (usually done after it is dead). It is still used by [[medical]] students to learn about the details of the [[human]] body. Simple microscopes were first invented in the 17th century, and the compound microscope (still used today) became available in the 19th century. The purpose of microscopy is to let us see the small details of structure. Also, the careful comparison of large collections of animals (usually in [[museum]]s) is often done. The great era of comparative anatomy was from about 1800 to about 1950. It was used by those who did not believe in [[evolution]], such as [[Georges Cuvier]], and by those who did, such as [[Thomas Henry Huxley]]. [[Charles Darwin]] himself used comparative anatomy as the main tool in his work on [[barnacle]]s. Nowadays, the main method used to find out relationships is [[molecular evolution]], which uses [[DNA]] [[sequence analysis]]. However, for many [[research]] purposes, [[Zoology|zoologists]] still dissect animals. To get a [[Academic degree|degree]] in biology, you need to know about the structure of animals (and [[plant]]s). [[Category:Animal anatomy]] [[Category:Branches of zoology]] [[Category:Taxonomy]]