The Department of Biology offers key courses in the study of animals including Comparative Animal Physiology (an increasingly hard-to-find course offering at the undergraduate level) which considers the function of all major organ systems in both invertebrates and vertebrates, Vertebrate Zoology, a natural history course that provides complete coverage of the taxonomy, morphology, identification, distribution, physiology, reproduction, and behavior of vertebrates, from fishes through mammals, Parasitology which is primarily concerned with protozoan and animal symbionts, the study of parasites and the conditions they cause and the milieu of associations, including viruses, bacteria, protozoans, fungi, plants, and animals. This area of study provides an excellent opportunity for students in the health professions to learn about critical medical conditions caused by symbionts, from African Sleeping Sickness to malaria, from schistosomiasis to trichinosis.