animals

Animal
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"Animalia" redirects here. For other uses, see Animalia (disambiguation).
For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation).
AnimalsFossil range: Ediacaran or earlier - Recent

Clockwise from top-left: Loligo vulgaris (a mollusk), Chrysaora quinquecirrha (a cnidarian), Aphthona flava (an arthropod), Eunereis longissima (an annelid), and Panthera tigris (a chordate).
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
(unranked):
Opisthokonta
Kingdom:
AnimaliaLinnaeus, 1758
Phyla
Subkingdom Parazoa
Porifera
Subkingdom Eumetazoa
Placozoa
Radiata (unranked)
Ctenophora
Cnidaria
Bilateria (unranked)
Orthonectida
Rhombozoa
Acoelomorpha
Chaetognatha
Superphylum Deuterostomia
Chordata
Hemichordata
Echinodermata
Xenoturbellida
Vetulicolia †
Protostomia (unranked)
Superphylum Ecdysozoa
Kinorhyncha
Loricifera
Priapulida
Nematoda
Nematomorpha
Lobopodia †
Onychophora
Tardigrada
Arthropoda
Superphylum Platyzoa
Platyhelminthes
Gastrotricha
Rotifera
Acanthocephala
Gnathostomulida
Micrognathozoa
Cycliophora
Superphylum Lophotrochozoa
Sipuncula
Hyolitha †
Nemertea
Phoronida
Bryozoa
Entoprocta
Brachiopoda
Mollusca
Annelida
Echiura
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and independently. Animals are also heterotrophs, meaning they must ingest other organisms for sustenance.