The Department of Zoology of the Faculty of Science was established at the University of Peradeniya in July 1961, the second of its kind after the Department of Zoology at the University of Colombo, then referred to as the University of Ceylon.  Department of Zoology was one of the five departments in the newly constituted Faculty of Science in Peradeniya, and was administered in the early years by its sister department at the University of Colombo. However, in 1963 the Department of Zoology came of its own with a staff of three headed by Prof. Hilary Crusz.

 The Special Degree programmes in Zoology commenced in 1965 at the University of Peradeniya with a batch of six students.  With the increased intake of students to the Biological Science stream, the academic cadre began to increase, with Prof. Hilary Crusz being appointed the first Professor of Zoology. A second Chair in Applied Zoology was established in 2000 with Prof. F.P. Amerasinghe as the first Professor.  Zoology was one of the three subjects offered to students following the B.Sc.degree in the Biological Sciences. About 30 students following the three-year General Degree programme offered Zoology while the number of students following the four-year Special Degree in Zoology ranged from 3-6. Today the Department of Zoology has become a vibrant institution that caters to the educational needs of a large number of students.