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Veterinarian
Treats animals — from pets to livestock to wildlife — diagnosing illness and performing surgery.
Did you know?
Horses can have MRI scans standing up: the sedated horse stays on its feet while a magnet is placed around its leg or hoof.
How subjects help
- Biology: Diagnose a sick animal by knowing how a dog's, cow's or parrot's body works differently.
- Chemistry: Adjust a medicine dose for an animal whose body breaks drugs down differently from ours.
A famous name
James Herriot: Pen name of Yorkshire vet Alf Wight, who wrote popular books about his real animal patients.
Try it yourself: Watch an animal for ten minutes
- Choose an animal and stay still and quiet so you don't disturb it. Don't touch or chase it.
- Make a tally of what it does: eating, moving, resting, calling, grooming.
- Draw one feature that helps it survive, like a beak shape, legs or colour.
- What was it doing most? What question would you want to answer next time?
Zoologists observe animals patiently, often for hours, recording what they really do rather than what we expect.
Also try: Take your pulse like a nurse.
Known for it in
USA, UK, Australia, Netherlands, Canada