With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a hollow sphere of cells, the blastula, during embryonic development. Over 1.5 million living animal species have been described—of which around 1 million are insects—but it has been estimated there are over 7 million animal species in total. Animals range in length from 8.5 millionths of a metre to 33.6 metres (110 ft) and have complex interactions with each other and their environments, forming intricate food webs. The category includes humans, but in colloquial use the term animal often refers only to non-human animals. The study of non-human animals is known as zoology.
Most living animal species are in the Bilateria, a clade whose members have a bilaterally symmetric body plan. The Bilateria include the protostomes—in which many groups of invertebrates are found, such as nematodes, arthropods, and molluscs—and the deuterostomes, containing the echinoderms and chordates (including the vertebrates). Life forms interpreted as early animals were present in the Ediacaran biota of the late Precambrian. Many modern animal phyla became clearly established in the fossil record as marine species during the Cambrian explosion which began around 542 million years ago. 6,331 groups of genes common to all living animals have been identified; these may have arisen from a single common ancestor that lived 650 million years ago.
Aristotle divided animals into those with blood and those without. Carl Linnaeus created the first hierarchical biological classification for animals in 1758 with his Systema Naturae, which Jean-Baptiste Lamarck expanded into 14 phyla by 1809. In 1874, Ernst Haeckel divided the animal kingdom into the multicellular Metazoa (now synonymous with Animalia) and the Protozoa, single-celled organisms no longer considered animals. In modern times, the biological classification of animals relies on advanced techniques, such as molecular phylogenetics, which are effective at demonstrating the evolutionary relationships between animal taxa.
Humans make use of many other animal species for food, including meat, milk, and eggs; for materials, such as leather and wool; as pets; and as working animals for power and transport. Dogs have been used in hunting, while many terrestrial and aquatic animals are hunted for sport. Non-human animals have appeared in art from the earliest times and are featured in mythology and religion.
Source: Wikipedia
Various Animals
Animals are multicellular eukaryotic organisms that form the biological kingdom Animalia
Various Animals Gallery
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090314-07072-four Wolf Ademeit
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190503-00964- Wolf Ademeit
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180219-00212-ice_fox_portrait Wolf Ademeit
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180126-01206-wild_cat Wolf Ademeit
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171027-01297-polar_fox Wolf Ademeit
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170906-00541-2-hippo Wolf Ademeit
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170906-00178-asiatic_ibex Wolf Ademeit
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170906-00141-capricorn Wolf Ademeit
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170904-00117-big_kudu Wolf Ademeit
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170901-00004-llamas Wolf Ademeit
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170427-00306-kangaroo Wolf Ademeit
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170209-00057-serval Wolf Ademeit
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150904-00376-young_wisent Wolf Ademeit
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150822-00581-armend_to_fight Wolf Ademeit
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150429-00162-let_the_sunshine_in Wolf Ademeit
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150429-00041-curved Wolf Ademeit
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150412-00171-red_panda Wolf Ademeit
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110903-00726-koala Wolf Ademeit
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110820-00398-sitting_bull Wolf Ademeit
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100807-11078-lauschangriff Wolf Ademeit
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100724-06369-gremlins_2 Wolf Ademeit
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100327-00192-kangaroo Wolf Ademeit
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100306-00556-ouch Wolf Ademeit
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091108-00954-otter_2 Wolf Ademeit
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091108-00625-deer Wolf Ademeit
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090613-00047-zwhai Wolf Ademeit
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090314-07049-one_more Wolf Ademeit
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090314-07042-one Wolf Ademeit
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090314-07033-neerkat Wolf Ademeit
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090314-07024-the_last_sentinel Wolf Ademeit
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090125-01021-hippo Wolf Ademeit
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090125-00363-sidelight Wolf Ademeit
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090110-00879-breath Wolf Ademeit
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081227-00779-otter Wolf Ademeit
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081226-00012-atem Wolf Ademeit
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081004-00376-dallmeier_sheep2 Wolf Ademeit
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081004-00375-dallmeier_sheep Wolf Ademeit
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080914-00170-big_kudu Wolf Ademeit
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080914-00028-lama_profille Wolf Ademeit
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080830-00837-wild_dog_2 Wolf Ademeit
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080501-12983-training Wolf Ademeit
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080419-11677-glorious Wolf Ademeit
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080419-11466-E-eared_fox Wolf Ademeit
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080419-11405-a_ticket_to_ride_3 Wolf Ademeit
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080407-10607-felix Wolf Ademeit
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080318-09223-beaver Wolf Ademeit
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080210-04771-tarantula Wolf Ademeit
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070805-00087-schnurrbart Wolf Ademeit
Various Animals
Animals are multicellular eukaryotic organisms that form the biological kingdom Animalia
Various Animals Gallery
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090314-07072-four Wolf Ademeit
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190503-00964- Wolf Ademeit
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180219-00212-ice_fox_portrait Wolf Ademeit
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180126-01206-wild_cat Wolf Ademeit
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171027-01297-polar_fox Wolf Ademeit
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170906-00541-2-hippo Wolf Ademeit
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170906-00178-asiatic_ibex Wolf Ademeit
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170906-00141-capricorn Wolf Ademeit
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170904-00117-big_kudu Wolf Ademeit
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170901-00004-llamas Wolf Ademeit
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170427-00306-kangaroo Wolf Ademeit
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170209-00057-serval Wolf Ademeit
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150904-00376-young_wisent Wolf Ademeit
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150822-00581-armend_to_fight Wolf Ademeit
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150429-00162-let_the_sunshine_in Wolf Ademeit
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150429-00041-curved Wolf Ademeit
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150412-00171-red_panda Wolf Ademeit
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110903-00726-koala Wolf Ademeit
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110820-00398-sitting_bull Wolf Ademeit
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100807-11078-lauschangriff Wolf Ademeit
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100724-06369-gremlins_2 Wolf Ademeit
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100327-00192-kangaroo Wolf Ademeit
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100306-00556-ouch Wolf Ademeit
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091108-00954-otter_2 Wolf Ademeit
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091108-00625-deer Wolf Ademeit
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090613-00047-zwhai Wolf Ademeit
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090314-07049-one_more Wolf Ademeit
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090314-07042-one Wolf Ademeit
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090314-07033-neerkat Wolf Ademeit
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090314-07024-the_last_sentinel Wolf Ademeit
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090125-01021-hippo Wolf Ademeit
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090125-00363-sidelight Wolf Ademeit
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090110-00879-breath Wolf Ademeit
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081227-00779-otter Wolf Ademeit
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081226-00012-atem Wolf Ademeit
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081004-00376-dallmeier_sheep2 Wolf Ademeit
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081004-00375-dallmeier_sheep Wolf Ademeit
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080914-00170-big_kudu Wolf Ademeit
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080914-00028-lama_profille Wolf Ademeit
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080830-00837-wild_dog_2 Wolf Ademeit
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080501-12983-training Wolf Ademeit
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080419-11677-glorious Wolf Ademeit
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080419-11466-E-eared_fox Wolf Ademeit
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080419-11405-a_ticket_to_ride_3 Wolf Ademeit
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080407-10607-felix Wolf Ademeit
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080318-09223-beaver Wolf Ademeit
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080210-04771-tarantula Wolf Ademeit
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070805-00087-schnurrbart Wolf Ademeit