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Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia (also called Metazoa). Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their lives. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and independently. Most all animals must ingest other organisms or their products for sustenance, with the exception of those that form symbiotic relationships with photosynthetic organisms. Most known animal phyla appeared in the fossil record as marine species during the Cambrian explosion, about 542 million years ago. Animals are divided into various sub-groups, some of which are: vertebrates (birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish); mollusks (clams, oysters, octopuses, squid, snails); arthropods (millipedes, centipedes, insects, spiders, scorpions, crabs, lobsters, shrimp); annelids (earthworms, leeches); sponges; and jellyfish. More about animals... Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera (meaning "pore bearer"). They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through them, consisting of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. Sponges have unspecialized cells that can transform into other types and that often migrate between the main cell layers and the mesohyl in the process. Sponges do not have nervous, digestive or circulatory systems. Instead, most rely on maintaining a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food and oxygen and to remove wastes. A Lynx is any of several medium-sized wild cats. Lynxes have short tails, and usually a tuft of hair on the tip of the ears. They have large paws padded for walking on snow, and long whiskers on the face. The lynx inhabits high altitude forests with dense cover of shrubs, reeds and grass. When the fox dies, fowls do not mourn. —Anonymous Here are some Open Tasks : Copyedit: Merge: GLAM/ARKive donated texts into articles about endangered species. Improve: Photoperiodism, Tool use by animals, Omnivore, Animal suicide, Sphaerium beckmani (a species in family Sphaeriidae), Requests: Mammals: Invertebrates: Giant Grasshopper Fishes: Ostracoberycidae (see here for a taxobox) Amphibians: Gobi Desert toad Merge: GLAM/ARKive donated texts into articles about endangered species. Expand: Junqueira cow, Atka mackerel Nominate and vote: Science collaboration of the month, Article Improvement Drive, WikiProject Animals Collaboration Template:/box-footer Elephants are large mammals found in sub-Saharan Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. Traditionally, two species are recognised, the African elephant (pictured) and the Asian elephant, although some evidence suggests that African bush elephants and African forest elephants are separate species. The largest living terrestrial animals, male African elephants can reach a height of 4 m (13 ft) and weigh 7,000 kg (15,000 lb). Distinctive features include the trunk, used for many purposes, and tusks, which serve as tools and weapons. Females (or "cows") tend to live in family groups; males (or "bulls") leave their family groups when they reach puberty, and may live alone or with other males. Adult bulls mostly interact with family groups when looking for a mate. Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild, and their intelligence has been compared to primates and cetaceans. African elephants are classed as vulnerable, while the Asian elephant is classed as endangered. Elephants are threatened by poaching for the ivory trade, habitat destruction and conflicts with local people. They are highly recognisable and have been featured in art, folklore, religion, literature and popular culture ...that the robin (pictured) has an average life expectancy of about one year, but has been known to live up to twelve years? ...that the Zebra mussel, originally native to Russia, has spread to North America, the British Isles, Spain, and Sweden, where it is considered a nuisance because it can form colonies large enough to block pipelines? ...that the Southern Giant Petrel is the leading predator to the Emperor Penguin, and may be responsible for up to 34% of chick deaths in some colonies? ...that some goats freeze for ten seconds whenever startled due to the genetic condition known as myotonia congenita, and have thus been dubbed "fainting goats"? ...that Eurasian badgers are believed to be partially responsible for the spread of bovine tuberculosis? Template:/box-footer WikiProject Animals Invertebrates Arthropods WikiProject Arthropods WikiProject Spiders WikiProject Insects WikiProject Lepidoptera WikiProject Phasmatodea Molluscs WikiProject Cephalopods WikiProject Gastropods Vertebrates Amphibians and Reptiles WikiProject Amphibians and Reptiles WikiProject Dinosaurs WikiProject Pterosaurs Fishes WikiProject Fishes WikiProject Aquarium Fishes WikiProject Sharks Mammals WikiProject Mammals WikiProject Primates WikiProject Monotremes and Marsupials WikiProject Cetaceans WikiProject Cats WikiProject Dogs WikiProject Rodents WikiProject Equine Birds WikiProject Birds Other Animal WikiProjects WikiProject Dog breeds WikiProject Horse breeds WikiProject Veterinary medicine WikiProject Sea Monsters WikiProject Animal rights WikiProject Zoo WikiProject Organismal Biomechanics ▼ Animals ► Lists of animals ► Animals by year of formal description ► Animal anatomy ► Anthrozoology ► Animals in art ► Animal common names ► Cryptids ► Ethology ► Animal identification ► Metaphors referring to animals ► Animal monuments ► Animal organizations ► Parasitic animals ► Animal physiology ► Animals in popular culture ► Animal reintroduction ► Biomorphic robots ► Animal taxonomy ► Veterinary medicine ► Zoology ► Zoos ► Images of animals ► Animal stubs Animal colouration Animal rights Anthrozoology Ethology Fauna Flying and gliding animals Invertebrate Neuroethology Vermin Worm Zoology Science Biology Ecology Extinct and Endangered Species Marine life Amphibians and Reptiles Arthropods Birds Cats Cetaceans Dinosaurs Dogs Fish Sharks Mammals Gastropods Crustaceans Horses The following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject: What are portals? 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