Animal
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Animalia is the taxonomic kingdom comprising all animals (including human beings).
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. All animals are also heterotrophs, meaning they must ingest other organisms or their products for sustenance.
Most known animal phyla appeared in the fossil record as marine species during the Cambrian explosion, about 542 million years ago.
References
Bibliography
- Klaus Nielsen. Animal Evolution: Interrelationships of the Living Phyla (2nd edition). Oxford University Press, 2001.
- Knut Schmidt-Nielsen. Animal Physiology: Adaptation and Environment. (5th edition). Cambridge University Press, 1997.
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- Animal at the Encyclopedia of Life
- Tree of Life Project
- Animal Diversity Web – University of Michigan's database of animals, showing taxonomic classification, images, and other information.
- ARKive – multimedia database of worldwide endangered/protected species and common species of UK.
- Scientific American Magazine (December 2005 Issue) – Getting a Leg Up on Land About the evolution of four-limbed animals from fish.