Aanimals

Animals are a major group of mostly multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Most animals appeared in the fossil record as marine species during the Cambrian explosion, over 500 million years ago

Animals are eukaryotic and usually multicellular. They are also distinguished from plants, algae, and fungi by lacking cell walls. Animals are also motile only at certain life stages

Groups of animals

Animals appear to belong to two major lineages: the Deuterostomes and Protostomes, including the Ecdysozoa, Platyzoa, and Lophotrochozoa. There are a few small groups of bilaterians with relatively similar structure that appear to have diverged before these major groups (Acoelomorpha, Rhombozoa, and Orthonectida). Myxozoa, single-celled parasites, are believed to have developed from the Bilateria

Animal rights

Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of animals be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings.[2] Advocates approach the issue from different philosophical positions, but agree that animals should be viewed as legal persons and members of the moral community, not property, and that they should not be used as food, clothing, research subjects, or entertainment