Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
animal
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
fallow deer (Dama dama)
Survival struggles in a meerkat colony
freshwater jellyfish gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
The video thumbnail image shows an illustration of an animal cell next to a photo of a whale swimming in the oean.
animal cell and plant cell early sea animals freshwater sponge (Spongilla) lobed comb jelly
Study a jellyfish's muscular contractions and learn how the carnivore uses its tentacles to catch prey
For Students
gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
animal summary
Quizzes
Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.
Ultimate Animals Quiz
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
The cheetah is the fastest land animal over short distances. It has become an endangered species in Africa, and is almost extinct in Asia. Cheetah mother with young. Cheetah cubs
Moms of the Animal Kingdom Quiz
Related Questions
Read Next
Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)
Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species
Mosquito on human skin.
10 Deadly Animals that Fit in a Breadbox
Cuban Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) single adult male, Zapata peninsula, Cuba, Caribbean.Bee hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world.
Queen Mab’s Stable: 7 of the Smallest Animals
Working German Shepherd dog sniffing a suspecting package for drugs or explosives.
Working Like a Dog: 7 Animals with Jobs
animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.
Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World
Discover
Horses. Equus caballus. Horse stable. A brown horse looks out from his stall through the window.
Horsing Around: 7 of the Weirdest Racehorse Names in History
Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics
10 Best Hockey Players of All Time
The Lost Colony of Roanoke, North Carolina, where 115 people mysteriously disappeared c. 1590. John White discovers the word Croatoan carved onto a tree upon his return to the deserted Roanoke Colony in 1590
The Lost Colony of Roanoke
Secret Service Agent Listens To Earpiece
Secret Service Code Names of 11 U.S. Presidents
January 21, 2019: Superbowl LIII will be played at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, February 3, 2019 against the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams.
What Was the Super Bowl’s First Blockbuster Commercial?
Shah Jahan. Taj Mahal. Mughal architecture. Emperor Shah Jahan fifth Mughal Emperor (reigned 1628-1658) India, Himachal Pradesh, Basohli or Jammu and Kashmir, Mankot, circa 1690 Drawings; Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper (see notes)
6 Important Mughal Emperors
Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson
Vietnam War Timeline

animal: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/animal
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As Animalia

Photos and Videos

fallow deer (Dama dama)
freshwater jellyfish
gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
animal cell and plant cell
early sea animals
freshwater sponge (Spongilla)
lobed comb jelly
Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum)
Prostheceraeus
reef squid
Survival struggles in a meerkat colony
The video thumbnail image shows an illustration of an animal cell next to a photo of a whale swimming in the oean.
Study a jellyfish's muscular contractions and learn how the carnivore uses its tentacles to catch prey
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Jacques Loeb
Jacques Loeb
German biologist
Charles Elton
English biologist
Akeley, Carl E.
Carl E. Akeley
American naturalist and explorer
Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Spencer Fullerton Baird
American naturalist
Karl P. Schmidt
American zoologist
Ross Granville Harrison
American zoologist
Victor Ernest Shelford
American zoologist
William Harvey
William Harvey
English physician
Georges Cuvier
Georges Cuvier
French zoologist
John James Audubon
John James Audubon
American artist
Sir Gavin de Beer
British zoologist
Theodor Schwann
Theodor Schwann
German physiologist
Forbes, Edward
Edward Forbes
British naturalist
Maria Martin
American artist
Sewall Wright, 1965
Sewall Wright
American geneticist
Fibiger
Johannes Fibiger
Danish pathologist
Charles Manning Child
American zoologist
Pallas, engraved portrait
Peter Simon Pallas
German naturalist
Warder Clyde Allee
American zoologist
Donald Redfield Griffin
American biophysicist

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz
Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.
Ultimate Animals Quiz
Bongo antelopes, Striped antelope called bongos live in the thick rain forests in the southern part of the Central African Republic.
What Kind of Animal?
vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.
Animal Factoids
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
The cheetah is the fastest land animal over short distances. It has become an endangered species in Africa, and is almost extinct in Asia. Cheetah mother with young. Cheetah cubs
Moms of the Animal Kingdom Quiz
Nine-Banded Armadillo.
A Is for Animal Quiz
Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Mating snails. Extreme close-up
Animal Mating Behavior
Band of horses in the saltmarsh at Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland, Virginia, NPS. Assateague's wild horses are actually feral animals, descendants of domestic animals that have reverted to a wild state.
All About Animals
List
Big beaver gnawing on limb at river's edge
6 Animal Species that Mate for Life
Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)
Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species
Japanese spider crab
10 Animals With Evolutionary Traits Plucked Straight Out of a Nightmare
Close up of praying mantis walking on stone ground against a blurred background in Japan
6 Animals That Eat Their Mates
Malayan Leaf Frog - Megophrys nasuta
9 Animals That Look Like Leaves
Cuban Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) single adult male, Zapata peninsula, Cuba, Caribbean.Bee hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world.
Queen Mab’s Stable: 7 of the Smallest Animals
Sergeant Stubby or also known as Mascot Stubby. Unofficial mascot dog of the 102nd Infantry Regiment of the United States with the 26th (Yankee) Division in World War I. War dog. Possibly a Boston terrier - also sometimes described as a Boston bull terrier
8 Famous Animals
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) standing on rock, side view, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
The Fastest Animals on Earth
animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.
Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World
Demystified
Praying mantis (sphodromantis gastrica)
Why Do Some Animals Eat Their Mates After Sex?