NEET Zoology Syllabus 2026 - Important Chapters of Zoology

NEET UG 2026 zoology syllabus

The NTA releases the syllabus of NEET exam on its official website. This syllabus holds great importance as it gives clarity to the students regarding what topics to focus on during their preparation journey. The Zoology NEET syllabus is vast and also the NEET syllabus 2026 was revised in the previous year's with the addition and deletion of some topics. Below is the detailed information of all zoology chapters for NEET.
Also check: Top 100 questions in NEET Biology to score 330+ marks

Zoology Syllabus for NEET 2026 - Chapter-wise

The important Zoology chapter for NEET 2026 are listed below. Candidates should go through the Zoology NEET 2026 syllabus to excel in the exam.

UNIT 1: Diversity in living world

• What is living?, Biodiversity, Need for classification, Taxonomy & Systematics, Concept of species and taxonomic hierarchy, Binomial nomenclature
• Five kingdom classification, salient features and classification of Monera, Protista and Fungi into major groups, Lichens, viruses and viroids.
• salient features and classification of plants into major groups-Algae, Bryophytes, Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms
• Salient features and classification of animals up to phyla level

UNIT 2: Structural organisation in animals

• Animal tissues
• Morphology, anatomy and functions of different systems (digestive, circulatory, respiratory, nervous and reproductive) of an insect (Frog)

UNIT 3: Human physiology

• Breathing and respiration
• Respiratory organs in animals
• Respiratory system in humans
• Mechanism of breathing and its regulation in humans-Exchange of gases, transport of gases and regulation of respiration respiratory volumes
• Disorders related to respiration-Asthma Emphysema, Occupational respiratory disorders.
• Body fluids and circulation
• Composition of blood, blood groups, coagulation of blood
• Composition of lymph and its function
• Human circulatory system-structure of human heart and blood vessels
• Cardiac cycle, cardiac output, double circulation
• Regulation of cardiac activity
• Disorders of circulatory system-Hypertension, coronary artery disease, angina pectoris, Heart failure.
• Excretory products and their elimination
• Modes of excretion- Ammonotelism, ureotelism, uricotelism
• Human excretory system-structure and function
• Urine formation, osmoregulation
• Regulation of kidney function, atrial natriuretic factor
• Role of other organs in excretion
• Disorders - Uraemia, Renal failure, Nephritis
• Dialysis and artificial kidney.
• Locomotion and Movement - Types of movement
• Skeletal muscle - contractile proteins and muscle contraction
• Skeletal system and its functions, joints, disorders of muscular and skeletal system-Myasthenia gravis, Tetany, Muscular dystrophy, Arthritis, Osteoporosis
• Neural control and coordination, neuron and nerves, nervous system in humans central nervous system, peripheral nervous system and visceral nervous system
• Generation and conduction of nerve impulse
• Chemical coordination and regulation, endocrine glands and hormones
• Human endocrine system-Hypothalamus, pituitary, pineal, Thyroid, parathyroid, Adrenal, Pancreas, Gonads
• Mechanism of hormone action
• Role of hormones as messengers and regulators, hypo-and hyperactivity and related disorders (common disorders e.g. Dwarfism, Acromegaly, Cretinism, goitre, exophthalmic goitre, diabetes, Addison's disease).

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UNIT 4: Reproduction

• Human reproduction: Male and female reproductive systems
• Microscopic anatomy of testis and ovary
• Gametogenesis-spermatogenesis & oogenesis
• Menstrual cycle
• Fertilisation, embryo development, implantation
• Pregnancy and placenta formation
• Parturition, lactation, reproductive health, Need for reproductive health and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STD)
• Birth control-Need and Methods, contraception and medical termination of Pregnancy
• Amniocentesis, infertility and assisted reproductive technologies.

UNIT 5: Genetics and evolution

• Heredity and variation, mendelian inheritance, deviations from Mendelism, Incomplete dominance, codominance, inheritance of blood groups, pleiotropy, elementary idea of polygenic inheritance, chromosome theory of inheritance, chromosomes and genes, sex determination in humans, birds, honey bees, linkage and crossing over, sex-linked inheritance-Haemophilia colour blindness, mendelian disorders in humans-Thalassemia, chromosomal disorders in humans, down's syndrome, Turner's and klinefelter's syndromes.

• Molecular basis of Inheritance, search for genetic material and DNA as genetic material, structure of DNA and RNA, DNA packaging, DNA replication, transcription, genetic code, gene expression and regulation, genome and human genome project, DNA fingerprinting, protein biosynthesis.

• Evolution - Origin of life, biological evolution and evidence for biological evolution from Paleontology, comparative anatomy, embryology and molecular evidence, Darwin's contribution, modern synthetic theory of evolution, mechanism of evolution, variation (mutation and recombination), natural Selection with examples, types of natural selection, Gene flow and genetic drift, Hardy-weinberg's principle, adaptive radiation, Human evolution.

UNIT 6: Biology and Human Welfare

• Health and disease, pathogens, parasites causing human diseases (malaria, filariasis, ascariasis, typhoid, pneumonia, common cold, amoebiasis, ring-worm, dengue, chikungunya), basic concepts of immunology, vaccines, cancer, HIV and AIDS, adolescence, drug and alcohol abuse, tobacco abuse

• Microbes in human welfare, in household food processing, industrial production, sewage treatment, energy generation and as biocontrol agents and biofertilizers.

UNIT 7: Biotechnology and its applications

• Principles and process of biotechnology, genetic engineering (recombinant DNA technology).
• Application of biotechnology in health and agriculture, human insulin and vaccine production, gene therapy, genetically modified organisms, transgenic animals, biosafety issue - biopiracy and patents.

UNIT 8: Biodiversity and conservation

• Concept of biodiversity
• Patterns of biodiversity
• Importance of biodiversity
• Biodiversity conservation
• Hotspots, endangered organisms, extinction, red book data, biosphere reserves, national parks and sanctuaries.