AbstractThis paper deals with the use of 180 animal species as medicinal resources in the state of Bahia, Northeastern Brazil. Data, which come from field works carried out in different indigenous, traditional, rural and urban communities within Bahia State, were gathered through the compilation of information available in scientific articles, monographs, theses, reports and presented papers. The animal‐based folk medicines come from millipedes (0.5%), annelids (1.0%), amphibians (1.0%), arachnids (1.0%), echinoderms (1.5%), crustaceans (4.0%), molluscs (6.0%), reptiles (12.0%), birds (13.0%), fishes (17.0%), mammals (20.0%) and insects (23.0%). These bioresources provide about 300 raw materials, which are turned into medicines and prescribed to treat a wide range of locally diagnosed ailments. The result shows how important this ethnozoological phenomenon is, and indicates that traditional knowledge on zootherapy is to be seriously studied in order to lead to the discovery of new sources of drugs. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.