What is "ophiology"

Ophiology \O`phi*ol"o*gy\, n. [Gr. ? a serpent + -logy: cf. F. ophioloqie.] That part of natural history which treats of the ophidians, or serpents.

n. (context biology English) The study of snakes, a branch of herpetology.

Ophiology or Ophidiology (more correct and used, and common in Latin countries)( Greek ophis = "snake" + logos = "knowledge") is the branch of herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) that deals with the scientific study of ophidians or snakes, including the natural history and behavior of the ophidians. An individual who studies snakes is known as an ophidiologist. The oldest preserved descriptions of snakes can be found in the Brooklyn Papyrus.