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animal
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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
At a Glance
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
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fallow deer (Dama dama)
fallow deer (Dama dama) The fallow deer (Dama dama) has been introduced in many areas ever since the Neolithic Period.

animal

organism
Also known as: Animalia
Written by
Virginia C. Maiorana
Research Associate, Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago.
Virginia C. MaioranaAll
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

animal, (kingdom Animalia), any of a group of multicellular eukaryotic organisms (i.e., as distinct from bacteria, their deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is contained in a membrane-bound nucleus). They are thought to have evolved independently from the unicellular eukaryotes. Animals differ from members of the two other kingdoms of multicellular eukaryotes, the plants (Plantae) and the fungi (Mycota), in fundamental variations in morphology and physiology. This is largely because animals have developed muscles and hence mobility,...

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