The 20th International Congress of Zoology was held in Paris, France 25 to 29 August 2008 and was a huge success. It was attended by over 450 researchers from 30 countries.

The Congress was hosted by the University  of Piere and Marie Curie, University Paris-Sud and the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle. The International Congress of Zoology is the premier event of the International Society of Zoological Society.

Zoological congresses first began in 1889 under the impetus of the Societe de Zoologique France and it was a special occasion to see the Congress return to its birthplace.

The Congress was divided into a number of symposia, plenary sessions and opportunities for the display of posters. Symposia topics included everything from global climate change to venomous animals to taxonomy to evolution.

The 20th International Congress of Zoology took place as the world faces global crises to its biodiversity and climate. Problems on this scale require global perspectives and the cooperation of people with knowledge and expertise in these areas from across the world.

Fortunately, the new International Congresses of Zoology are a way to reunite different zoological sub-disciplines while providing researchers from across the globe an opportunity to share ideas on the animal organism.

The next Congress will be held in Israel in 2012 and details will soon be made available at .