animal planet essay

Animal Essay

500 Words Essay on Animal

Animals carry a lot of importance in our lives. They offer humans with food and many other things. For instance, we consume meat, eggs, dairy products. Further, we use animals as a pet too. They are of great help to handicaps. Thus, through the animal essay, we will take a look at these creatures and their importance.

Types of Animals

First of all, all kinds of living organisms which are eukaryotes and compose of numerous cells and can sexually reproduce are known as animals. All animals have a unique role to play in maintaining the balance of nature.

A lot of animal species exist in both, land and water. As a result, each of them has a purpose for their existence. The animals divide into specific groups in biology. Amphibians are those which can live on both, land and water.

Reptiles are cold-blooded animals which have scales on their body. Further, mammals are ones which give birth to their offspring in the womb and have mammary glands. Birds are animals whose forelimbs evolve into wings and their body is covered with feather.

They lay eggs to give birth. Fishes have fins and not limbs. They breathe through gills in water. Further, insects are mostly six-legged or more. Thus, these are the kinds of animals present on earth.

Importance of Animals

Animals play an essential role in human life and planet earth. Ever since an early time, humans have been using animals for their benefit. Earlier, they came in use for transportation purposes.

Further, they also come in use for food, hunting and protection. Humans use oxen for farming. Animals also come in use as companions to humans. For instance, dogs come in use to guide the physically challenged people as well as old people.

In research laboratories, animals come in use for drug testing. Rats and rabbits are mostly tested upon. These researches are useful in predicting any future diseases outbreaks. Thus, we can protect us from possible harm.

Astronomers also use animals to do their research. They also come in use for other purposes. Animals have use in various sports like racing, polo and more. In addition, they also have use in other fields.

They also come in use in recreational activities. For instance, there are circuses and then people also come door to door to display the tricks by animals to entertain children. Further, they also come in use for police forces like detection dogs.

Similarly, we also ride on them for a joyride. Horses, elephants, camels and more come in use for this purpose. Thus, they have a lot of importance in our lives.

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Conclusion of Animal Essay

Thus, animals play an important role on our planet earth and in human lives. Therefore, it is our duty as humans to protect animals for a better future. Otherwise, the human race will not be able to survive without the help of the other animals.

FAQ on Animal Essay

Question 1: Why are animals are important?

Answer 1: All animals play an important role in the ecosystem. Some of them help to bring out the nutrients from the cycle whereas the others help in decomposition, carbon, and nitrogen cycle. In other words, all kinds of animals, insects, and even microorganisms play a role in the ecosystem.

Question 2: How can we protect animals?

Answer 2: We can protect animals by adopting them. Further, one can also volunteer if one does not have the means to help. Moreover, donating to wildlife reserves can help. Most importantly, we must start buying responsibly to avoid companies which harm animals to make their products.

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• School Education /

Essay on Animals: Samples in 100, 200 and 300 Words

• Updated on  
• Dec 27, 2023

Animals are an important part of the natural world. Their existence in our environment is as important as ours. Some of the common animals that we see regularly are dogs, cats, cows, birds, etc. From small insects to blue whales, there are millions of species of animals in our environment, each having their habitat and way of living. Some animals live in seas, while others on land. Our natural environment is so diverse that there are more than 7 million species of animals currently living. Today, we will provide you with some essay on animals. Stay tuned!

Table of Contents

• 1 Essay on Animals in 100 Words
• 2 Essay on Animals in 200 Words
• 3 Essay on Animals in 300 Words

Also Read: Essay on New Education Policy in 500 Words

Essay on Animals in 100 Words

Animals are part of our natural world. Most of the animal specials are related to humans in direct or indirect ways. In agricultural and dairy production, animals play an important role. Our food, such as eggs, milk, chicken, beef, mutton, fish, etc. all come from animals. Animals are generally of two types; domestic and wild. 

Domestic animals are those that we can keep at our homes or use their physical strength for activities like agriculture, farming, etc. Wild animals live in forests, where they have different ways of survival. There is an interdependence between humans and animals. Without animals, our existence would be impossible. Therefore, saving animals is as important as saving ourselves.

Also Read: Essay on Cow: 100 to 500 Words

Essay on Animals in 200 Words

Animals play a major role in maintaining the balance of our ecosystem. They contribute to our biodiversity by enriching the environment with their diverse species. Animals range from microscopic organisms to majestic mammals with their unique place in the intricate web of life.

Animals provide essential ecosystem services, such as pollination, seed dispersal, and pest control, which are vital for the survival of many plant species. Animals contribute to nutrient cycling and help in maintaining the health of ecosystems. Animals have an interdependency on each other which creates a delicate equilibrium. Our activities often disturb his balance, which affects the entire ecosystem.

There are a lot of animals that we can domesticate, such as dogs, cats, cows, horses, etc. These animals bring joy and companionship to our lives. We also domesticate milch animals, such as cows, goats, camels, etc. for services like milk or agricultural activities. Wild animals living in forests contribute to our cultural and aesthetic aspects, inspiring art, literature, and folklore.

In recent years, animal species have faced threats due to habitat destruction, climate change, and human activities. Conservation efforts are crucial to protecting endangered species and preserving the diversity of life on Earth.

Animals are integral to the health of our planet and contribute to the overall well-being of human societies. It is our responsibility to appreciate, respect, and conserve the rich tapestry of animal life for the benefit of present and future generations.

Essay on Animals in 300 Words

Scientific studies say there are 4 types of animals; mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. All these types of animals are important in maintaining the balance of our ecosystem. From the smallest insects to the largest mammals, each species has a unique role to play in the web of life.

One of the fundamental roles of animals is in ecosystem services. Bees and butterflies, for example, are crucial pollinators for many plants, including crops that humans rely on for food. Birds and mammals contribute to seed dispersal, facilitating the growth of various plant species. Predators help control the population of prey animals, preventing overgrazing and maintaining the health of ecosystems.

Beyond their ecological contributions, animals also have immense cultural significance. Throughout history, animals have been revered and represented in art, mythology, and religious beliefs. They symbolize traits such as strength, agility, wisdom, and loyalty, becoming integral to human culture. Domesticated animals, such as dogs and cats, have been companions to humans for thousands of years, providing emotional support and companionship.

However, the impact of human activities on animals is a growing concern. Habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, and poaching pose significant threats to many species. Conservation efforts are crucial to safeguarding biodiversity and ensuring the survival of endangered animals.

Moreover, the well-being of animals is closely linked to human welfare.  Livestock and poultry contribute to the global food supply, and advancements in medical research often rely on animal models. Ethical considerations surrounding animal welfare are increasingly important, leading to discussions on responsible and humane treatment.

Animals are essential components of our planet’s ecosystems and contribute significantly to human culture and well-being. Balancing our interactions with animals through conservation, ethical treatment, and sustainable practices is imperative to ensure a harmonious coexistence and preserve the diversity of life on Earth.

Tree: trimmed. ✔ Goats are skilled climbers who don't limit their search for food to the ground. #goat #greatestholidayofalltime #Morocco pic.twitter.com/eQrwHPWSPr — Animal Planet (@AnimalPlanet) December 19, 2023

Ans: Animals are an important part of our natural environment. Humans and animals depend on each other for their survival. We humans depend on animals for food, agricultural activities, etc. Domestic animals are those that we can keep at our homes or use their physical strength for activities like agriculture, farming, etc. Wild animals live in forests, where they have different ways of survival. There is an interdependence between humans and animals. Without animals, our existence would be impossible. Therefore, saving animals is as important as saving ourselves.

Ans: Some of the domesticated animals are dogs, cats, cows, goats, camels, etc.

Ans: Mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

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Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

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Essay On Animals

The quote by Anatole France, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened”, sums it all about animals. Planet Earth is home to humans as well as animals. According to the survey, it is estimated that over 8 million species of animals exist on Earth, living on land and water. Each species has a unique place in the environment and balances the ecosystem. These species play a significant role in the stability of the ecosystem, environment, and our lives.

100 Words Essay On Animals

200 words essay on animals, 500 words essay on animals.

Since the beginning of human civilisation, humans have interacted with wildlife. Before the era of industrialisation and urbanisation, human life was dependent on animals. The big animals were a threat to our ancestors who once lived in caves and were nomads. Eventually, they learned to survive, fight and use the animal's skin for clothing, the meat for food or bait, and ivory elements as utensils or ornaments. Even as humans evolved, animals have contributed to various aspects like transportation, the economy, social life etc. The increased dependence of humans on animals has caused threats to their existence. Hence, their preservation and protection against any abuse is our responsibility.

Animals are the most adorable and loving creatures existing on Earth. They might not be able to speak, but they can understand. They have a unique mode of interaction which is beyond human understanding. There are two types of animals: domestic and wild animals.

Domestic Animals | Domestic animals such as dogs, cows, cats, donkeys, mules and elephants are the ones which are used for the purpose of domestication. Wild animals refer to animals that are not normally domesticated and generally live in forests. They are important for their economic, survival, beauty, and scientific value.

Wild Animals | Wild animals provide various useful substances and animal products such as honey, leather, ivory, tusk, etc. They are of cultural asset and aesthetic value to humankind. Human life largely depends on wild animals for elementary requirements like the medicines we consume and the clothes we wear daily.

Nature and wildlife are largely associated with humans for several reasons, such as emotional and social issues. The balanced functioning of the biosphere depends on endless interactions among microorganisms, plants and animals. This has led to countless efforts by humans for the conservation of animals and to protect them from extinction. Animals have occupied a special place of preservation and veneration in various cultures worldwide.

Animals are made up of numerous cells that can move, sense and reproduce. They play a vital role in maintaining nature’s balance. Numerous animal species exist in the land as well as water, and each has a purpose for their existence.

Different Types Of Animals

Biologists have divided into particular groups for better understanding at the species level, for instance – amphibians - animals which live on land as well as water, reptiles – which are scaled bodies and cold-blooded animals, mammals – animals which give birth to the offspring in the womb and have mammary glands, birds – animals with forelimbs evolved to wings and feather-covered body, and also lays eggs for giving birth, fishes – aquatic animals having fins in place of limbs, and gills for the respiration, insects – they are mostly six-legged or more, and mostly having a head, abdomen, and thorax.

How Animals Help Humans

Since the time of existence and evolution of human beings, we have established ourselves as the greater and more superior species because of sophisticated and advanced ways of thinking and applying. With time, humans have learned to use animals to their benefit and have also realised how to incorporate animals into our social lives:-

Animal husbandry has been in existence for a very long period of time.

Animals have been used for numerous purposes like clothing, food, entertainment, and transportation.

Animals have also been used to discover new things from tests and research. Several vaccines and medicines obtained from animals have turned out to be benison.

Animals have also been used for outer-space explorations, leading to milestone achievements in scientific discoveries.

Humans have used animals for good (sustain livelihood) and evil purposes (acts of torture to poor animals). Even as the world modernised, people have started thinking about animals and working for their rights, creating awareness among humans.

The bond between humans and animals has evolved as a strong bond, and now both coexist with a mutual understanding of nature. Humans have strived to preserve those endangered and rare species via modern conservation modes, including national parks, sanctuaries, etc.

My Experience With Animals

As a child raised in a city, I never had first-hand experience with animals. Though people domesticate animals, I was always afraid of them. Due to the fear of getting infected and being bitten, I never went near them. One fine day, I saw finches in the pet shop near my house. At first glance, I loved them for a long time, but then one of my friends asked me to reach out to them and observe them. To my astonishment, the finches drew near me and were looking at me. I thought to take them with me, and when I took them – I was amazed by their understanding, love and interactions. This led me to love the animals and look at them from a different perspective, not with a fearful heart. They are the most loving creatures existing on Earth.

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Data Administrator

Database professionals use software to store and organise data such as financial information, and customer shipping records. Individuals who opt for a career as data administrators ensure that data is available for users and secured from unauthorised sales. DB administrators may work in various types of industries. It may involve computer systems design, service firms, insurance companies, banks and hospitals.

Bio Medical Engineer

The field of biomedical engineering opens up a universe of expert chances. An Individual in the biomedical engineering career path work in the field of engineering as well as medicine, in order to find out solutions to common problems of the two fields. The biomedical engineering job opportunities are to collaborate with doctors and researchers to develop medical systems, equipment, or devices that can solve clinical problems. Here we will be discussing jobs after biomedical engineering, how to get a job in biomedical engineering, biomedical engineering scope, and salary. 

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A career as ethical hacker involves various challenges and provides lucrative opportunities in the digital era where every giant business and startup owns its cyberspace on the world wide web. Individuals in the ethical hacker career path try to find the vulnerabilities in the cyber system to get its authority. If he or she succeeds in it then he or she gets its illegal authority. Individuals in the ethical hacker career path then steal information or delete the file that could affect the business, functioning, or services of the organization.

GIS officer work on various GIS software to conduct a study and gather spatial and non-spatial information. GIS experts update the GIS data and maintain it. The databases include aerial or satellite imagery, latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, and manually digitized images of maps. In a career as GIS expert, one is responsible for creating online and mobile maps.

Data Analyst

The invention of the database has given fresh breath to the people involved in the data analytics career path. Analysis refers to splitting up a whole into its individual components for individual analysis. Data analysis is a method through which raw data are processed and transformed into information that would be beneficial for user strategic thinking.

Data are collected and examined to respond to questions, evaluate hypotheses or contradict theories. It is a tool for analyzing, transforming, modeling, and arranging data with useful knowledge, to assist in decision-making and methods, encompassing various strategies, and is used in different fields of business, research, and social science.

Geothermal Engineer

Individuals who opt for a career as geothermal engineers are the professionals involved in the processing of geothermal energy. The responsibilities of geothermal engineers may vary depending on the workplace location. Those who work in fields design facilities to process and distribute geothermal energy. They oversee the functioning of machinery used in the field.

Database Architect

If you are intrigued by the programming world and are interested in developing communications networks then a career as database architect may be a good option for you. Data architect roles and responsibilities include building design models for data communication networks. Wide Area Networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), and intranets are included in the database networks. It is expected that database architects will have in-depth knowledge of a company's business to develop a network to fulfil the requirements of the organisation. Stay tuned as we look at the larger picture and give you more information on what is db architecture, why you should pursue database architecture, what to expect from such a degree and what your job opportunities will be after graduation. Here, we will be discussing how to become a data architect. Students can visit NIT Trichy , IIT Kharagpur , JMI New Delhi . 

Remote Sensing Technician

Individuals who opt for a career as a remote sensing technician possess unique personalities. Remote sensing analysts seem to be rational human beings, they are strong, independent, persistent, sincere, realistic and resourceful. Some of them are analytical as well, which means they are intelligent, introspective and inquisitive. 

Remote sensing scientists use remote sensing technology to support scientists in fields such as community planning, flight planning or the management of natural resources. Analysing data collected from aircraft, satellites or ground-based platforms using statistical analysis software, image analysis software or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a significant part of their work. Do you want to learn how to become remote sensing technician? There's no need to be concerned; we've devised a simple remote sensing technician career path for you. Scroll through the pages and read.

Budget Analyst

Budget analysis, in a nutshell, entails thoroughly analyzing the details of a financial budget. The budget analysis aims to better understand and manage revenue. Budget analysts assist in the achievement of financial targets, the preservation of profitability, and the pursuit of long-term growth for a business. Budget analysts generally have a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics, or a closely related field. Knowledge of Financial Management is of prime importance in this career.

Underwriter

An underwriter is a person who assesses and evaluates the risk of insurance in his or her field like mortgage, loan, health policy, investment, and so on and so forth. The underwriter career path does involve risks as analysing the risks means finding out if there is a way for the insurance underwriter jobs to recover the money from its clients. If the risk turns out to be too much for the company then in the future it is an underwriter who will be held accountable for it. Therefore, one must carry out his or her job with a lot of attention and diligence.

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Product manager.

A Product Manager is a professional responsible for product planning and marketing. He or she manages the product throughout the Product Life Cycle, gathering and prioritising the product. A product manager job description includes defining the product vision and working closely with team members of other departments to deliver winning products.  

Operations Manager

Individuals in the operations manager jobs are responsible for ensuring the efficiency of each department to acquire its optimal goal. They plan the use of resources and distribution of materials. The operations manager's job description includes managing budgets, negotiating contracts, and performing administrative tasks.

Stock Analyst

Individuals who opt for a career as a stock analyst examine the company's investments makes decisions and keep track of financial securities. The nature of such investments will differ from one business to the next. Individuals in the stock analyst career use data mining to forecast a company's profits and revenues, advise clients on whether to buy or sell, participate in seminars, and discussing financial matters with executives and evaluate annual reports.

A Researcher is a professional who is responsible for collecting data and information by reviewing the literature and conducting experiments and surveys. He or she uses various methodological processes to provide accurate data and information that is utilised by academicians and other industry professionals. Here, we will discuss what is a researcher, the researcher's salary, types of researchers.

Welding Engineer

Welding Engineer Job Description: A Welding Engineer work involves managing welding projects and supervising welding teams. He or she is responsible for reviewing welding procedures, processes and documentation. A career as Welding Engineer involves conducting failure analyses and causes on welding issues. 

Transportation Planner

A career as Transportation Planner requires technical application of science and technology in engineering, particularly the concepts, equipment and technologies involved in the production of products and services. In fields like land use, infrastructure review, ecological standards and street design, he or she considers issues of health, environment and performance. A Transportation Planner assigns resources for implementing and designing programmes. He or she is responsible for assessing needs, preparing plans and forecasts and compliance with regulations.

Environmental Engineer

Individuals who opt for a career as an environmental engineer are construction professionals who utilise the skills and knowledge of biology, soil science, chemistry and the concept of engineering to design and develop projects that serve as solutions to various environmental problems. 

Safety Manager

A Safety Manager is a professional responsible for employee’s safety at work. He or she plans, implements and oversees the company’s employee safety. A Safety Manager ensures compliance and adherence to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) guidelines.

Conservation Architect

A Conservation Architect is a professional responsible for conserving and restoring buildings or monuments having a historic value. He or she applies techniques to document and stabilise the object’s state without any further damage. A Conservation Architect restores the monuments and heritage buildings to bring them back to their original state.

Structural Engineer

A Structural Engineer designs buildings, bridges, and other related structures. He or she analyzes the structures and makes sure the structures are strong enough to be used by the people. A career as a Structural Engineer requires working in the construction process. It comes under the civil engineering discipline. A Structure Engineer creates structural models with the help of computer-aided design software. 

Highway Engineer

Highway Engineer Job Description:  A Highway Engineer is a civil engineer who specialises in planning and building thousands of miles of roads that support connectivity and allow transportation across the country. He or she ensures that traffic management schemes are effectively planned concerning economic sustainability and successful implementation.

Field Surveyor

Are you searching for a Field Surveyor Job Description? A Field Surveyor is a professional responsible for conducting field surveys for various places or geographical conditions. He or she collects the required data and information as per the instructions given by senior officials. 

Orthotist and Prosthetist

Orthotists and Prosthetists are professionals who provide aid to patients with disabilities. They fix them to artificial limbs (prosthetics) and help them to regain stability. There are times when people lose their limbs in an accident. In some other occasions, they are born without a limb or orthopaedic impairment. Orthotists and prosthetists play a crucial role in their lives with fixing them to assistive devices and provide mobility.

Pathologist

A career in pathology in India is filled with several responsibilities as it is a medical branch and affects human lives. The demand for pathologists has been increasing over the past few years as people are getting more aware of different diseases. Not only that, but an increase in population and lifestyle changes have also contributed to the increase in a pathologist’s demand. The pathology careers provide an extremely huge number of opportunities and if you want to be a part of the medical field you can consider being a pathologist. If you want to know more about a career in pathology in India then continue reading this article.

Veterinary Doctor

Speech therapist, gynaecologist.

Gynaecology can be defined as the study of the female body. The job outlook for gynaecology is excellent since there is evergreen demand for one because of their responsibility of dealing with not only women’s health but also fertility and pregnancy issues. Although most women prefer to have a women obstetrician gynaecologist as their doctor, men also explore a career as a gynaecologist and there are ample amounts of male doctors in the field who are gynaecologists and aid women during delivery and childbirth. 

Audiologist

The audiologist career involves audiology professionals who are responsible to treat hearing loss and proactively preventing the relevant damage. Individuals who opt for a career as an audiologist use various testing strategies with the aim to determine if someone has a normal sensitivity to sounds or not. After the identification of hearing loss, a hearing doctor is required to determine which sections of the hearing are affected, to what extent they are affected, and where the wound causing the hearing loss is found. As soon as the hearing loss is identified, the patients are provided with recommendations for interventions and rehabilitation such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and appropriate medical referrals. While audiology is a branch of science that studies and researches hearing, balance, and related disorders.

An oncologist is a specialised doctor responsible for providing medical care to patients diagnosed with cancer. He or she uses several therapies to control the cancer and its effect on the human body such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy and biopsy. An oncologist designs a treatment plan based on a pathology report after diagnosing the type of cancer and where it is spreading inside the body.

Are you searching for an ‘Anatomist job description’? An Anatomist is a research professional who applies the laws of biological science to determine the ability of bodies of various living organisms including animals and humans to regenerate the damaged or destroyed organs. If you want to know what does an anatomist do, then read the entire article, where we will answer all your questions.

For an individual who opts for a career as an actor, the primary responsibility is to completely speak to the character he or she is playing and to persuade the crowd that the character is genuine by connecting with them and bringing them into the story. This applies to significant roles and littler parts, as all roles join to make an effective creation. Here in this article, we will discuss how to become an actor in India, actor exams, actor salary in India, and actor jobs. 

Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats create and direct original routines for themselves, in addition to developing interpretations of existing routines. The work of circus acrobats can be seen in a variety of performance settings, including circus, reality shows, sports events like the Olympics, movies and commercials. Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats must be prepared to face rejections and intermittent periods of work. The creativity of acrobats may extend to other aspects of the performance. For example, acrobats in the circus may work with gym trainers, celebrities or collaborate with other professionals to enhance such performance elements as costume and or maybe at the teaching end of the career.

Video Game Designer

Career as a video game designer is filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. A video game designer is someone who is involved in the process of creating a game from day one. He or she is responsible for fulfilling duties like designing the character of the game, the several levels involved, plot, art and similar other elements. Individuals who opt for a career as a video game designer may also write the codes for the game using different programming languages.

Depending on the video game designer job description and experience they may also have to lead a team and do the early testing of the game in order to suggest changes and find loopholes.

Radio Jockey

Radio Jockey is an exciting, promising career and a great challenge for music lovers. If you are really interested in a career as radio jockey, then it is very important for an RJ to have an automatic, fun, and friendly personality. If you want to get a job done in this field, a strong command of the language and a good voice are always good things. Apart from this, in order to be a good radio jockey, you will also listen to good radio jockeys so that you can understand their style and later make your own by practicing.

A career as radio jockey has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. If you want to know more about a career as radio jockey, and how to become a radio jockey then continue reading the article.

Choreographer

The word “choreography" actually comes from Greek words that mean “dance writing." Individuals who opt for a career as a choreographer create and direct original dances, in addition to developing interpretations of existing dances. A Choreographer dances and utilises his or her creativity in other aspects of dance performance. For example, he or she may work with the music director to select music or collaborate with other famous choreographers to enhance such performance elements as lighting, costume and set design.

Social Media Manager

A career as social media manager involves implementing the company’s or brand’s marketing plan across all social media channels. Social media managers help in building or improving a brand’s or a company’s website traffic, build brand awareness, create and implement marketing and brand strategy. Social media managers are key to important social communication as well.

Photographer

Photography is considered both a science and an art, an artistic means of expression in which the camera replaces the pen. In a career as a photographer, an individual is hired to capture the moments of public and private events, such as press conferences or weddings, or may also work inside a studio, where people go to get their picture clicked. Photography is divided into many streams each generating numerous career opportunities in photography. With the boom in advertising, media, and the fashion industry, photography has emerged as a lucrative and thrilling career option for many Indian youths.

An individual who is pursuing a career as a producer is responsible for managing the business aspects of production. They are involved in each aspect of production from its inception to deception. Famous movie producers review the script, recommend changes and visualise the story. 

They are responsible for overseeing the finance involved in the project and distributing the film for broadcasting on various platforms. A career as a producer is quite fulfilling as well as exhaustive in terms of playing different roles in order for a production to be successful. Famous movie producers are responsible for hiring creative and technical personnel on contract basis.

Copy Writer

In a career as a copywriter, one has to consult with the client and understand the brief well. A career as a copywriter has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. Several new mediums of advertising are opening therefore making it a lucrative career choice. Students can pursue various copywriter courses such as Journalism , Advertising , Marketing Management . Here, we have discussed how to become a freelance copywriter, copywriter career path, how to become a copywriter in India, and copywriting career outlook. 

In a career as a vlogger, one generally works for himself or herself. However, once an individual has gained viewership there are several brands and companies that approach them for paid collaboration. It is one of those fields where an individual can earn well while following his or her passion. 

Ever since internet costs got reduced the viewership for these types of content has increased on a large scale. Therefore, a career as a vlogger has a lot to offer. If you want to know more about the Vlogger eligibility, roles and responsibilities then continue reading the article. 

For publishing books, newspapers, magazines and digital material, editorial and commercial strategies are set by publishers. Individuals in publishing career paths make choices about the markets their businesses will reach and the type of content that their audience will be served. Individuals in book publisher careers collaborate with editorial staff, designers, authors, and freelance contributors who develop and manage the creation of content.

Careers in journalism are filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. One cannot afford to miss out on the details. As it is the small details that provide insights into a story. Depending on those insights a journalist goes about writing a news article. A journalism career can be stressful at times but if you are someone who is passionate about it then it is the right choice for you. If you want to know more about the media field and journalist career then continue reading this article.

Individuals in the editor career path is an unsung hero of the news industry who polishes the language of the news stories provided by stringers, reporters, copywriters and content writers and also news agencies. Individuals who opt for a career as an editor make it more persuasive, concise and clear for readers. In this article, we will discuss the details of the editor's career path such as how to become an editor in India, editor salary in India and editor skills and qualities.

Individuals who opt for a career as a reporter may often be at work on national holidays and festivities. He or she pitches various story ideas and covers news stories in risky situations. Students can pursue a BMC (Bachelor of Mass Communication) , B.M.M. (Bachelor of Mass Media) , or  MAJMC (MA in Journalism and Mass Communication) to become a reporter. While we sit at home reporters travel to locations to collect information that carries a news value.  

Corporate Executive

Are you searching for a Corporate Executive job description? A Corporate Executive role comes with administrative duties. He or she provides support to the leadership of the organisation. A Corporate Executive fulfils the business purpose and ensures its financial stability. In this article, we are going to discuss how to become corporate executive.

Multimedia Specialist

A multimedia specialist is a media professional who creates, audio, videos, graphic image files, computer animations for multimedia applications. He or she is responsible for planning, producing, and maintaining websites and applications. 

Quality Controller

A quality controller plays a crucial role in an organisation. He or she is responsible for performing quality checks on manufactured products. He or she identifies the defects in a product and rejects the product. 

A quality controller records detailed information about products with defects and sends it to the supervisor or plant manager to take necessary actions to improve the production process.

Production Manager

A QA Lead is in charge of the QA Team. The role of QA Lead comes with the responsibility of assessing services and products in order to determine that he or she meets the quality standards. He or she develops, implements and manages test plans. 

Process Development Engineer

The Process Development Engineers design, implement, manufacture, mine, and other production systems using technical knowledge and expertise in the industry. They use computer modeling software to test technologies and machinery. An individual who is opting career as Process Development Engineer is responsible for developing cost-effective and efficient processes. They also monitor the production process and ensure it functions smoothly and efficiently.

AWS Solution Architect

An AWS Solution Architect is someone who specializes in developing and implementing cloud computing systems. He or she has a good understanding of the various aspects of cloud computing and can confidently deploy and manage their systems. He or she troubleshoots the issues and evaluates the risk from the third party. 

Azure Administrator

An Azure Administrator is a professional responsible for implementing, monitoring, and maintaining Azure Solutions. He or she manages cloud infrastructure service instances and various cloud servers as well as sets up public and private cloud systems. 

Computer Programmer

Careers in computer programming primarily refer to the systematic act of writing code and moreover include wider computer science areas. The word 'programmer' or 'coder' has entered into practice with the growing number of newly self-taught tech enthusiasts. Computer programming careers involve the use of designs created by software developers and engineers and transforming them into commands that can be implemented by computers. These commands result in regular usage of social media sites, word-processing applications and browsers.

Information Security Manager

Individuals in the information security manager career path involves in overseeing and controlling all aspects of computer security. The IT security manager job description includes planning and carrying out security measures to protect the business data and information from corruption, theft, unauthorised access, and deliberate attack 

ITSM Manager

Automation test engineer.

An Automation Test Engineer job involves executing automated test scripts. He or she identifies the project’s problems and troubleshoots them. The role involves documenting the defect using management tools. He or she works with the application team in order to resolve any issues arising during the testing process. 

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How to Write an Expository Essay on an Animal

Last Updated: September 15, 2021

This article was co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA . Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida State University. She received her MA in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016. She has conducted survey work for marine spatial planning projects in the Caribbean and provided research support as a graduate fellow for the Sustainable Fisheries Group. This article has been viewed 76,311 times.

Expository essays describe a particular topic and provide the reader with relevant information. An expository essay about an animal can take a variety of different directions. Choose a topic that interests you, outline and write your essay, and then proofread your work before turning it in.

Outlining and Researching

• An expository essay is an essay that provides the reader information about a particular topic. To write an expository essay on an animal, you'll have to choose an animal and provide a variety of information on that animal. It would likely include things like what that animal looks like, what it eats, where it lives, and so on.
• Choose an animal that personally interests you. You'll have more fun writing your essay if you are writing about something you enjoy. Pick an animal you like. Your favorite animal could be a good topic for an expository essay on an animal.

• You can review the assignment sheet given to you or ask your teacher in person. If you speak with your teacher, be sure to take notes so you can refer back to them when researching, outlining, writing, and polishing your essay.

• Look for sources that are valid. Major newspapers like the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle are a good place to start. You also might want to find some history behind your topic. Go your school's library and ask a librarian to help you use the card catalogue to locate books and magazines on your topic. An encyclopedia could be a good reference for an expository essay. [1] X Research source
• The Internet is a major source of information and can be extremely helpful when researching. However, you should know how to evaluate sources before relying on the internet for information. Look for current resources so you know the information is up-to-date. Go for websites associated with universities or government organizations, with domains like .edu and .gov, over business or commercial websites.
• Select pages where the author's name is clearly visible and the page is easy to navigate. Personal blogs are not a good resource. Websites for organizations advocating strongly for a particular political cause may have a strong bias. Avoid sites like Wikipedia, as they are user generated and may not have accurate information.
• Take notes while researching. Keep a notebook with you and jot down relevant information. Write down which source you got this information from so you can refer to the source later on. If possible, print out your own copies of library texts so you can underline and write notes in the margins.

• Outlines are usually formed using a series of numbers and letter. You write down main points as headings and then expand upon these points in subheadings.
• For example, you can use Roman numerals as headings and then use letters as subheadings. Say you're writing about potbelly pigs. You can start with “I. Introduction.” Then something like “a. Introduce my topic, including a brief description of potbelly pigs” and “b. briefly state the personality traits and appearance of a potbelly pig.”
• You don't need to use full sentences in an outline. It's just a tool to help you organize your ideas. Don't worry about forming full sentences or thoughts yet. You can get to that during the writing process.

Writing the Essay

• Begin your introduction with a fun opening sentence that gets the reader's attention. You can open with a question, a quote, a joke, or anything that introduces your topic in a creative manner. For example, let's return to the potbelly pig example. Open with something like, "Did you know that not all pigs are farmyard animals? Some pigs are kept domestically as pets." This invites the reader to think about your topic.
• From there, briefly state what you'll be discussing in your paper. You can provide a brief description of a potbelly pig, including things like a brief overview of their appearance and personality traits.

• For example, one paragraph can describe the appearance of a potbelly pig. Another paragraph can then describe the eating habits of a potbelly pig, and another can talk about how to care for potbelly pigs, health problems they're prone to, and so on.
• Make sure you stick to one main topic per paragraph.

• Go to your sources for support of the information you're listing. If you're talking about how potbelly pigs are prone to bacterial infections in the ear, you'll need a source that shows that this is true.

• Certain questions can help guide a good conclusion. Did you think of any new ideas about the animal you're researching? Are there any questions or concerns that need further research? What larger significance does your topic have in the bigger world?
• However, you should not suddenly introduce new information in the conclusion. Instead, you should speculate and reflect on the information provided. Think of a good closing line that will stay in readers' minds. You want to make sure your essay has an impact. [2] X Research source

Reviewing Your Work

• A good way to structure transitions is to make them a bridge between the old paragraph and the new. For example, to connect a paragraph on keeping a potbelly pig as a pet to a previous paragraph about eating habits, you could use something like this: "Although potbelly pigs can eat a variety of things in the wild, if you're keeping a potbelly pig as a pet, you need to be more careful about providing a balanced diet." The word Although sets up a connection between the ideas.
• Focus on clarity. You want to make sure the information is presented in as straightforward means as possible. If you notice any sentences that seem unclear in your first draft, work on rewording them in revision.

Community Q&A

• Pick an animal you would like to know about. This can help you have fun researching and writing. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/02/

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Philosophy professor’s book asks humans to rethink their relationships with animals

In her new book, “Fellow Creatures: Our Obligations to the Other Animals,” Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Philosophy Christine Korsgaard makes the case that humans are not inherently more important than animals and therefore should treat them much better than we do.

Korsgaard, Ph.D. ’81, has taught at Harvard for almost 30 years and is an expert on moral philosophy. The book is a departure from her previous theoretical work on moral philosophy, as it deals with more practical ethical questions.

Drawing on the work of Immanuel Kant and Aristotle, she argues that humans have a duty to value our fellow creatures not as tools, but as sentient beings capable of consciousness and able to have lives that are good or bad for them.

The Gazette spoke to Korsgaard about her book, the future of animal rights, and writing accessible philosophy.

Christine Korsgaard

GAZETTE:   What made you decide to pursue this topic?

KORSGAARD:   Western moral philosophy is now more than 2,000 years old, and in all of that time very few moral philosophers have said anything about the treatment of animals. Animals are sentient beings and some are capable of interacting with us, but on the other hand there they are, on our dinner plates, pulling our wagons, hunted by us, and made to fight with one another for our amusement. It just seems like an obvious moral issue, and yet moral philosophers haven’t often asked questions like: Is this all right? Why is it OK to do these things?

I’ve had a personal belief for a long time that we should be treating other animals better and in particular that we shouldn’t eat them. I’ve been a vegetarian for more than 40 years and a vegan more recently. At the same time, I’m an advocate of the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant, who celebrates the value of humanity and rational nature and is one of the few philosophers to have said right out, “We have no duties to the other animals and we can use them however we please.” So I was trying to understand how to put these different positions together.

GAZETTE:   This is a personal subject for you, so was your approach to writing this different from your previous work?

KORSGAARD:   Writing about practical questions is really difficult. People talk as if the way you solve a practical problem is that you take a theory and then just apply it to a case, but it’s not like that. It takes a lot of work to put the whole battery of ideas involved in a theory to work on a practical question. In that sense, the book represents a kind of work I haven’t done before, at least not to this extent.

GAZETTE:   Were there issues that were particularly challenging for you to write about?

KORSGAARD:   One difficult thing was to articulate a position in the face of knowing that there’s a passionate but often inadequately argued objection out there to what I’m saying. If I say, “We shouldn’t experiment on animals, because we have no right to use them as mere means to our ends,” that will be met with a heated defense of the practice. People say, “We should never give that up, because it does so much good to humans.” To me that doesn’t seem to meet the point, so I am at cross-purposes with my opponents.

Another difficult thing about this book was to get the audience properly in focus. I wanted to make a book that nonphilosophers could understand and think about, at least if they are willing to bear down a little on the arguments, but I also wanted to convince my colleagues in philosophy that there’s a serious philosophical topic here.

“Some people think that humans are just plain more important than other animals. I ask: More important to whom?”

GAZETTE:   “Tethered importance” or “tethered goodness” is an integral element of your book. Can you explain more about that?

KORSGAARD:   The idea of good or importance being “tethered” is based on the idea that anything that is good is good for someone; anything that is important is important to  someone. Kant’s idea is that when we pursue things that are good for us, we in effect make a claim that those things are good in an absolute sense — we have reason to pursue them and other people have a reason to treat them as good as well, to respect our choices or pursue our ends. But if we think that way, we have to say that things that are good or bad for any creature for whom things are good or bad, including animals, are good or bad in an absolute sense.

Some people think that humans are just plain more important than other animals. I ask: More important to whom? We may be more important to ourselves, but that doesn’t justify our treating animals as if they’re less important to us, any more than the fact that your family is more important to you justifies you treating other people’s families as if they are less important than yours.

GAZETTE :  With the growing popularity of “impossible” plant-based meat and meat grown from animal cells, do you think more people are coming to a moral realization about how to treat animals?

More like this

Raising the profile of animal law to match the stakes

Brainy birds

KORSGAARD :   I’m not very optimistic about people coming to care more about animals and what’s good or bad for them. But the issue of how we treat animals overlaps with two issues that people care a lot about, even if it’s only for the sake of human beings: climate change and biodiversity. Factory farming is one of the major causes of global warming, and biodiversity is something people are concerned about too, even if [just] for the sake of having a healthy environment for human beings.

If we got rid of factory farming, that would help animals. Biodiversity is related to that too because one of the main reasons why so many species are dying out is because of lack of habitat caused by factory farming in general and the production of meat. Many people care about the preservation of species, but that’s not the same as treating individual animals in an ethically correct way. But thinking about these issues has brought attention to the ways that we treat animals, and so there’s some room for hope that people will think more about these things.

This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

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The Importance of Animal Rights Essay

Animal rights are a matter of active debate in society nowadays since there are many related issues that, being unresolved, may endanger many creatures inhabiting the planet. Animals play a significant part in human lives, which is why humanity puts much effort into protecting them, creating various associations, organizing charity events, and educating children about the importance of different species. However, many people treat other living creatures as if they had no rights, which often leads to suffering, high mortality rates, and generally poor animal welfare. They should have legal rights since they significantly influence the economy, make people’s lives better, and do not significantly differ from humans in many senses.

First of all, animals significantly impact human lives since many species contribute to the world economy by producing fur, food, and other essential products. Blattner argues that animals are people’s co-workers, which is a common opinion among researchers and farmers (33). However, people do not always recognize the contributions to society made by animals. According to statistics, a single cow produces more than 5,000 liters of milk per year, which is probably enough for several people to consume at the same time (Blattner 33). Many cows have to suffer to achieve that production level as they are forcefully impregnated and separated from their families. In other words, people treat cows improperly to gain as much benefit as possible, and they do not even appreciate animals for their contribution to food production.

Furthermore, animals can help vulnerable groups such as autistic children or people with mental illnesses. Concerning humans, animals do not understand disabilities or ugliness, which is why these creatures can love others under no conditions (Baka et al. 11). Thus, domestic pets can provide a positive atmosphere of socialization for people who lack an opportunity or desire to socialize among humans. Baka et al. report that animals can also help little children develop empathy as they can learn to understand others’ needs by putting themselves into their pets’ places (11). Animals can make people’s lives better, which is a weighty reason for them to have the same rights as people do.

Finally, it is imperative to clarify that there is no actual reason to consider rights only as an element of human society. Humans and animals are living creatures that inhabit the same Earth, and all of them should have the same rights here. It is well-known that various animal species lived on this planet long before the first human was born. These facts make it unclear why the only species that should have legal rights are humans. Cesario argues that rights should not be “limited to members of a species that can petition for rights and respect the rights of others” (40). In many respects, humans are animals, which is why both groups should have the same, or at least similar, rights.

Overall, animals should have rights as they contribute to the world economy and improve people’s lives by providing favorable socializing conditions, and there is no reason to believe that animals are different from humans. Like any living creature, every animal is a part of this planet, and it should be outlawed to treat them as if they had no rights. Animals should not be subjected to torture and poor living conditions, and people should ensure their welfare by giving them the corresponding rights.

Works Cited

Baka, Alexandra, et al., “Animal rights.” Open Schools Journal for Open Science, vol. 3, no. 3, 2020, pp. 1-14.

Blattner, Charlotte. “Should Animals Have a Right to Work? Promises and Pitfalls.” Animal Studies Journal, vol. 9, no. 1, 2020, pp. 32-92.

Cesario, Anthony. “Reconciling the Irreconcilable: A Property Rights Approach to Resolving the Animal Rights Debate.” Studia Humana, vol. 10, no. 4, 2021, pp. 36-65.

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IvyPanda. (2023, October 31). The Importance of Animal Rights. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-importance-of-animal-rights/

"The Importance of Animal Rights." IvyPanda , 31 Oct. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/the-importance-of-animal-rights/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'The Importance of Animal Rights'. 31 October.

IvyPanda . 2023. "The Importance of Animal Rights." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-importance-of-animal-rights/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Importance of Animal Rights." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-importance-of-animal-rights/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The Importance of Animal Rights." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-importance-of-animal-rights/.

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Short & Long Essay on Animals in 100, 150, 200, and 500 Words

Essay on animals.

Short & Long Essay on Animals has been written in simple English and easy words for children and students. This English Essay on Animals mentions animals, how many types of animals are there, and why they are special for us. Students are often asked to write essay on animals in their schools and colleges. And if you are also searching for the same, then we have given essay on animals in 100 – words, 150 – words, 200 – words, and 500 – words.

Short & Long Essay on Animals

Essay – 100 words.

Animals are the most precious living things created by God on earth. As long as humans remain on this earth, animals will also exist. There are various species of animals on earth, the first of which are mammals like lions, cows, goats, bears, etc. There are other reptiles that lay eggs such as crocodiles, lizards, snakes and turtles. The third species are amphibians which breathe through the skin, they live both on land and in water, like frogs, toads, salamanders etc.

Some animals live in forests and are considered dangerous, those who like to eat meat, and hunt each other, like lions, tigers, foxes, etc. Whereas some animals of the forest like to eat grass and leaves like deer, giraffe, elephant, etc.

Essay – 150 Words

Animals work to maintain balance in the environment. Some of those animals live in the forest while some animals are domesticated which is beneficial for humans and is the main source of milk, meat, and poultry. There are many animals that have been created to help control the population of other animals, for example, lions, tigers, panthers, etc.

Due to the increasing population, people today are cutting forests to expand buildings and factories, due to which wild animals are losing their homes and are on the verge of extinction.

Poaching threatens the existence of animals and kills them for fashion products like their fur and leather. In addition, animals are also used by doctors and scientists in research laboratories for testing products and drugs.

From time to time, the government and other organizations take many important steps to protect the forests and the animals living there.

Essay – 200 Words

Earth is home not only to humans but also to many animals. Since ancient times, animals have acted as friends and enemies of humans. Humans used animals for farming, transportation, and protection as well as for hunting.

There are various types of species of animals present on the earth whose presence is in all corners of the world. Mammals are vertebrates and warm-blooded. Mammals include carnivores, rodents, bears etc. Amphibians live mainly in moist environments because they breathe through thin skin, such as frogs, salamanders, toads caecilians, etc. Reptile animals include lizards, turtles snakes, etc.

These animals not only inhabit but are an essential part of our ecosystem which helps in maintaining balance on the earth. However, many of these animals are facing the threat of extinction due to poaching and deforestation.

wild animals like lion, tiger, bear etc. keep the animal population under control and animals which eat plants help the environment in controlling the growth of plants. Animals also provide us with the food we need to survive, for example poultry, dairy and meat, etc. Animals are one of the oldest companions of humans.

Essay – 500 Words

Introduction

The presence of animals is essential on Earth, they help maintain balance in the ecosystem. Since ancient times, some animals have also been serving as our companions and helping us in our hard work, reducing stress, anxiety, and loneliness. Every animal, whether wild or domesticated, has an important place in the food chain that contributes to the survival of life on this planet. Today we will take a look at the types and importance of these animals through animal essay.

There are many types of animals on earth but we can mainly divide them into two types in simple words:- First is domestic animals and second is wild animals.

Domestic Animals

Many tasks can be done by taming domestic animals. Humans also keep them as pets and raise them for food, milk, and eggs. There are different varieties of domestic animals.

Horses, cows, buffalo, chickens and goats are the most common domesticated animals commonly found in many households. Cow, buffalo, goat are reared mainly for milk while bull, buffalo are used in farming for plowing the land. Sheep are reared to obtain wool which is used in making warm clothes.

Dogs and cats are the most popular domestic animals in the world. Dogs are considered to be man’s loyal companions as they protect us and our homes and property from thieves while cats entertain us and keep our homes free from rats and rodents. Furthermore, pigeons, rabbits, and parrots are other types of domestic animals and birds that make us feel happy.

Wild Animals

Wild animals mainly live in the forest and these animals cannot be domesticated. These animals mainly include lion, elephant, tiger, deer, bear etc. These are very important in balancing the environment and provide stability to various natural processes of nature.

These animals help maintain nature’s ecosystems and food chains. We get useful substances and medicines from some animals. Leather, honey, teeth, etc. are obtained from wild animals.

Importance of Animals

Animals are important to the environment and our lives. They serve as our companions and workers and even provide us with laid eggs and food. They are helpful in maintaining a better-balanced ecosystem.

Additionally, humans have been using animals for transportation since ancient times. Oxen, horses, camels, and donkeys have long been used to pull carts, with the animals still being used for transportation in the modern era in some countries.

Domesticated animals like dogs, cats, etc. have served as faithful companions of humans for centuries. Also, humans have been rearing these animals for food and employment.

Conclusion :

Thus, all animals play an important role in our earth and human life. Therefore, it is our duty to protect all these animals for a better future. Otherwise, human beings will become helpless without the help of these animals.

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Essay On Animals

500+ words essay on animals, the different animal species and their importance.

The planet we live on is home to both humans and animals. An animal is a living creature, which is part of a group of multicellular eukaryotic organisms. These organisms have special sense organs and nervous systems and are capable of locomotion and reproduction. All animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide and with the exception of a few, most animals consume organic matter. 

Animals are very important for the environment. We need them for several things from companionship to food and even balancing the ecosystem. There are several species of animals in the world and they live on land and water. Each of these animals has a unique place in the environment and are crucial to maintain the balance of the ecosystem. And each of them has a purpose for their existence. The study of animals is called biology.

In this essay on animals, you’ll learn about the different species of animals and how they’re classified. This essay on animals also talks about the importance of animals.

Essay On Animals: The Different Species Of Animals

Animals are divided into different groups or species in Biology. It is estimated that the world has over 7 million species of animals. According to biology, animals can be classified into two groups, vertebrates and invertebrates. 

Vertebrates

All animals that have a backbone are called vertebrates. Vertebrates can be further classified into 5 groups, mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles.

• Mammals: These are warm-blooded animals that have hair or fur and vertebrates (a backbone). Most mammals give birth to their young ones and produce milk to feed and nourish their young ones. Some examples of mammals are human beings, cats, dogs, cows, lions, dolphins, whales etc.
• Birds: Birds are warm-blooded animals with feathers, wings and a light skeleton, which helps them fly. But, some birds like ostriches, penguins, emus, kiwis, cassowary etc cannot fly. Birds lay eggs and hatch them to give birth to their young ones. Some examples of birds are crows, ducks, swans, geese, chickens, pigeons, peacocks etc.
• Fish: Fish are cold blooded vertebrates that live in water. They have fins and scales that help them swim in the water. Like birds, fish also lay eggs to reproduce. Some examples of fish are sharks, clownfish, salmon, eels, seahorses etc.
• Amphibians: Amphibians are vertebrates that live on both land and water. These cold blooded animals need a moist environment to survive. They breathe through their skin by absorbing water. Like birds and fish, amphibians also reproduce by laying eggs. Some examples of amphibians are frogs, toads, salamanders, etc
• Reptiles:  Reptiles are cold blooded animals with a backbone and live on land and water. Their skin is covered with scales or bony plates. Reptiles give birth to their young ones by laying eggs. Some examples of reptiles are snakes, lizards, geckos, crocodiles, turtles etc.

Invertebrates

Invertebrates are animals, which do not have a backbone. About 95% of the animal kingdom is made up of invertebrates, which are mostly insects. The eight different types of invertebrates, which can be found today are: annelida, arthropoda, cnidaria, echinodermata, mollusca, nematoda, platyhelminthes and porifera. Some examples of invertebrates are mosquitoes, spiders, earthworm, jellyfish, snails, squid, bees etc.

Classifying Animals Based On Food

Like us humans, animals also need food to survive. Animals can be further classified into 3 kinds based on what they eat. 

• Carnivores: Animals that eat the meat of other animals to survive are called carnivores or carnivorous animals. For example tigers, lions, hyenas, sharks, hawks, eagles etc. 
• Herbivores: These animals eat only plants, their leaves, fruits and vegetables. Some examples of herbivorous animals are cows, horses, elephants, deer, rabbits, butterflies, silkworms etc.
• Omnivores: Animals, which eat both plants and animals are called omnivorous animals. Some examples of omnivores are human beings, wolves, raccoons, bears, dogs, rats, skunks etc.

Also explore: Read some more essay on animals with Essay on Cat , Essay On Dog and Essay On Tiger .

Essay On Animals: The Importance Of Animals

Animals are important for the environment and even our lives. They serve as our companions, our eyes and ears, our workers and even provide us with food. They are extremely vital to maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem. 

• Animals for transportation: Since early ages, humans have used animals for transportation. Horses, camels, oxen and donkeys have pulled carts and aided in transportation for a long time. Even in today’s modern world, animals are used for transportation in some countries.
• Animals as companions: Domestic animals and pets like dogs, cats, pigs etc have served as loyal companions to humans for centuries. These days, animals like service dogs serve as help for visually impaired people, emotional support for people with special needs etc. 
• Animals for food: Humans have consumed animals and animal products like meat, fish, poultry, milk, cheese etc for ages. 
• Animals as workers: We humans often use animals for tasks like guarding, farming, hunting and protecting. For example, guard dogs, oxen for farming, hunting dogs etc.
• A balanced ecosystem: Each animal in the world has a unique place in the food chain and contributes to the ecosystem in their own way. For example, bees and birds help in pollination. Carnivorous animals keep the population of other animals in check. They are also necessary for contributing to the carbon and nitrogen cycle and decomposition. 

Humans and animals have to learn to coexist. A healthy ecosystem is dependent on relationships between different organisms, food webs and food chains. Protecting animals is important because it could have disastrous consequences on our ecosystem. Additionally, they have an equal right to survive in this world just as much as humans.

We hope you found this essay on animals interesting and helpful. Check Osmo’s essays for kids to explore more essays on a wide variety of topics. 

Frequently Asked Questions On Animals

What are animals.

Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms that have special sense organs and nervous systems. They breathe in oxygen, consume organic matter and are capable of reproduction and locomotion.

How are animals classified?

Animals are classified into two main types: vertebrates and invertebrates. Vertebrates are animals with fur and a backbone. These vertebrates can be further classified into mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Invertebrates are animals that don’t have a backbone. 95% of the animals in the animal kingdom are invertebrates.

How are animals important for humans?

Animals are extremely important for us humans. We use them for food, transportation, companionship, as workers, for medicine etc. They are also important to maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem.

the impact of climate change on our planet’s animals

Humans are not the only species impacted by our planet’s climate crisis. The world’s wildlife and habitats will also face profound, sometimes catastrophic, change. Increases in temperature could trigger the collapse of fragile ecosystems and huge waves of extinction. The choices we make today have the power to reduce the suffering of people and animals in the future.  

Climate change threatens vital biodiversity  

The Earth is now about 1.1°C (2°F) warmer than it was in the 1800s. Based on current projections, global temperatures will rise by 2.7°C (4.8°F) by the end of the century. It’s impossible to predict exactly how long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns will affect our planet’s fragile, deeply entwined ecosystems. Changes in one area influence changes in other areas and animals will feel the impact. Some of the biggest climate-driven threats for wildlife include: 

Habitat loss: Rising temperatures affect vegetation, food sources, access to water and much more. Ecosystems may become uninhabitable for certain animals, forcing wildlife to migrate outside of their usual patterns in search of food and livable conditions, while causing other animals to die off.  

For example, if rates of habitat loss and fragmentation due to human development and global warming continue—combined with deaths from poaching—we could lose Africa’s elephants in the next 40 years.  

Natural disasters: Already today we face a five-fold increase, compared to 50 years ago, in climate and weather-related natural disasters such as droughts, wildfires and hurricanes. These disasters cause catastrophic loss of life and habitat for people, pets and wildlife.  

Australia’s Black Summer bushfires (2019–20), for example, burned 186,000 square kilometers (72,000 square miles) and are estimated to have killed or displaced three billion koalas, kangaroos and other animals.  

Human-wildlife conflict: Climate change intensifies human-wildlife conflict through habitat loss and extreme climate events, forcing people and wildlife to share increasingly crowded spaces. As ecosystems change, people and wildlife roam farther in search of food, water and resources. Human-wildlife conflict often results in devastating impact for the animals affected.  

For example, jaguars sometimes prey on domestic animals and disrupt human livelihoods, leading to retaliatory killings that result in the further decline of already-dwindling jaguar populations.  

Extinction: The combination of challenges could cause many animals to go extinct. The world’s most vulnerable animals, including those already near extinction, will likely face the biggest threats.  

The North Atlantic right whale , for example, teeters on the brink of extinction, with an estimated 336 individual animals remaining, the lowest count in 20 years. A warming ocean, coupled with a failure to decrease conflicts with humans (vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear), could drive this species to extinction.  

Animals and habitats: our allies in fighting climate change 

Thankfully, we have a powerful ally in our fight against climate change: animals and the ecosystems they are part of. The United Nations estimates that healthy ecosystems could account for 37% of the carbon reductions needed to limit global temperature rise.  

Healthy ecosystems with abundant plants and trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere and store it. So, preserving or restoring nature is a powerful tool in the race to stop climate change. Healthy ecosystems also filter water, buffer against flooding, reduce the impact of disasters, improve soil health and support rich biodiversity. Keystone species and nearly all animals play vital, sometimes invisible, roles in securing biodiversity and conserving habitats. 

For example, whales play a significant role in supporting healthy marine ecosystems . Whale poop provides nutrients to phytoplankton. Like plants, phytoplankton capture large amounts of CO2 and convert it to energy, removing carbon from the atmosphere. When phytoplankton are eaten by other marine animals, such as whales, the carbon continues to pass through the food web, remaining out of the atmosphere and not contributing to global warming. 

Elephants play important roles in engineering healthy ecosystems that in turn absorb CO2 and keep it out of the atmosphere. Elephants disperse seeds, fertilize soil, dig wells, create trails for other animals and clear space that encourages new plant growth. 

Pangolins eat ants and termites , keeping those populations regulated, and excavate dens that are used by other animals, both of which are essential in the ecosystems where pangolins live. 

Many other animals play equally important roles in the ecosystems where they live. 

ifaw is making a difference. and so can you! 

Protecting biodiversity is vital in our shared fight against climate change. IFAW’s work focuses on shaping a future where both people and animals thrive together in the places they call home. We are working in more than 40 countries around the world across seas and oceans. We partner with local communities, governments, non-governmental organizations and businesses. Together, we pioneer new and innovative ways to help all species flourish. 

You can help 

Making a difference starts with taking action. Sign our petitions and make your voice heard for the animals that need you most. 

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What Would It Mean to Treat Animals Fairly?

By Elizabeth Barber

A few years ago, activists walked into a factory farm in Utah and walked out with two piglets. State prosecutors argued that this was a crime. That they were correct was obvious: The pigs were the property of Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in the country. The defendants had videoed themselves committing the crime; the F.B.I. later found the piglets in Colorado, in an animal sanctuary.

The activists said they had completed a “rescue,” but Smithfield had good reason to claim it hadn’t treated the pigs illegally. Unlike domestic favorites like dogs, which are protected from being eaten, Utah’s pigs are legally classified as “livestock”; they’re future products, and Smithfield could treat them accordingly. Namely, it could slaughter the pigs, but it could also treat a pig’s life—and its temporary desire for food, space, and medical help—as an inconvenience, to be handled in whatever conditions were deemed sufficient.

In their video, the activists surveyed those conditions . At the facility—a concentrated animal-feeding operation, or CAFO —pregnant pigs were confined to gestation crates, metal enclosures so small that the sows could barely lie down. (Smithfield had promised to stop using these crates, but evidently had not.) Other pigs were in farrowing crates, where they had enough room to lie down but not enough to turn their bodies around. When the activists approached one sow, they found dead piglets rotting beneath her. Nearby, they found two injured piglets, whom they decided to take. One couldn’t walk because of a foot infection; the other’s face was covered in blood. According to Smithfield, which denied mistreating animals, the piglets were each worth about forty-two dollars, but both had diarrhea and other signs of illness. This meant they were unlikely to survive, and that their bodies would be discarded, just as millions of farm animals are discarded each year.

During the trial, the activists reiterated that, yes, they entered Smithfield’s property and, yes, they took the pigs. And then, last October, the jury found them not guilty. In a column for the Times , one of the activists—Wayne Hsiung, the co-founder of Direct Action Everywhere—described talking to one of the jurors, who said that it was hard to convict the activists of theft, given that the sick piglets had no value for Smithfield. But another factor was the activists’ appeal to conscience. In his closing statement, Hsiung, a lawyer who represented himself, argued that an acquittal would model a new, more compassionate world. He had broken the law, yes—but the law, the jury seemed to agree, might be wrong.

A lot has changed in our relationship with animals since 1975, when the philosopher Peter Singer wrote “ Animal Liberation ,” the book that sparked the animal-rights movement. Gestation crates, like the ones in Utah, are restricted in the European Union, and California prohibits companies that use them from selling in stores, a case that the pork industry fought all the way to the Supreme Court—and lost. In a 2019 Johns Hopkins survey, more than forty per cent of respondents wanted to ban new CAFO s. In Iowa, which is the No. 1 pork-producing state, my local grocery store has a full Vegan section. “Vegan” is also a shopping filter on Sephora, and most of the cool-girl brands are vegan, anyway. Wearing fur is embarrassing.

And yet Singer’s latest book, “ Animal Liberation Now ,” a rewrite of his 1975 classic, is less a celebratory volume than a tragic one—tragic because it is very similar to the original in refrain, which is that, big-picture-wise, the state of animal life is terrible. “The core argument I was putting forward,” Singer writes, “seemed so irrefutable, so undeniably right, that I thought everyone who read it would surely be convinced by it.” Apparently not. By some estimates, scientists in the U.S. currently use roughly fifteen million animals for research, including mice, rats, cats, dogs, birds, and nonhuman primates. As in the seventies, much of this research tries to model psychological ailments, despite scientists’ having written for decades that more research is needed to figure out whether animals—and which kind of animals—provide a useful analogue for mental illness in humans. When Singer was first writing, a leading researcher created psychopathic monkeys by raising them in isolation, impregnating them with what he called a “rape rack,” and studying how the mothers bashed their infants’ heads into the ground. In 2019, researchers were still putting animals through “prolonged stress”—trapping them in deep water, restraining them for long periods while subjecting them to the odor of a predator—to see if their subsequent behavior evidenced P.T.S.D. (They wrote that more research was needed.) Meanwhile, factory farms, which were newish in 1975, have swept the globe. Just four per cent of Americans are vegetarian, and each year about eighty-three billion animals are killed for food.

It’s for these animals, Singer writes, “and for all the others who will, unless there is a sudden and radical change, suffer and die,” that he writes this new edition. But Singer’s hopes are by now tempered. One obvious problem is that, in the past fifty years, the legal standing of animals has barely changed. The Utah case was unusual not just because of the verdict but because referendums on farm-animal welfare seldom occur at all. In many states, lawmakers, often pressured by agribusiness, have tried to make it a serious crime to enter a factory farm’s property. The activists in Utah hoped they could win converts at trial; they gambled correctly, but, had they been wrong, they could have gone to prison. As in 1975, it remains impossible to simply petition the justice system to notice that pigs are suffering. All animals are property, and property can’t take its owner to court.

Philosophers have debated the standing of animals for centuries. Pythagoras supposedly didn’t eat them, perhaps because he believed they had souls. Their demotion to “things” owes partly to thinkers like Aristotle, who called animals “brute beasts” who exist “for the sake of man,” and to Christianity, which, like Stoicism before it, awarded unique dignity to humans. We had souls; animals did not. Since then, various secular thinkers have given this idea a new name—“inherent value,” “intrinsic dignity”—in order to explain why it is O.K. to eat a pig but not a baby. For Singer, these phrases are a “last resort,” a way to clumsily distinguish humans from nonhuman animals. Some argue that our ability to tell right from wrong, or to perceive ourselves, sets us apart—but not all humans can do these things, and some animals seem to do them better. Good law doesn’t withhold justice from humans who are elderly or infirm, or those who are cognitively disabled. As a utilitarian, Singer cites the founder of that tradition, the eighteenth-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham, who argued that justice and equality have nothing to do with a creature’s ability to reason, or with any of its abilities at all, but with the fact that it can suffer. Most animals suffer. Why, then, do we not give them moral consideration?

Singer’s answer is “speciesism,” or “bias in favor of the interests of members of one’s own species.” Like racism and sexism, speciesism denies equal consideration in order to maintain a status quo that is convenient for the oppressors. As Lawrence Wright has written in this magazine , courts, when considering the confinement of elephants and chimpanzees, have conceded that such animals evince many of the qualities that give humans legal standing, but have declined to follow through on the implications of this fact. The reason for that is obvious. If animals deserved the same consideration as humans, then we would find ourselves in a world in which billions of persons were living awful, almost unimaginably horrible lives. In which case, we might have to do something about it.

Equal consideration does not mean equal treatment. As a utilitarian, Singer’s aim is to minimize the suffering in the world and maximize the pleasure in it, a principle that invites, and often demands, choices. This is why Singer does not object to killing mosquitos (if done quickly), or to using animals for scientific research that would dramatically relieve suffering, or to eating meat if doing so would save your life. What he would not agree with, though, is making those choices on the basis of perceived intelligence or emotion. In a decision about whether to eat chicken or pork, it is not better to choose chicken simply because pigs seem smarter. The fleeting pleasure of eating any chicken is trounced by its suffering in industrial farms, where it was likely force-fed, electrocuted, and perhaps even boiled alive.

Still, Singer’s emphasis on suffering is cause for concern to Martha Nussbaum , whose new book, “ Justice for Animals ,” is an attempt to settle on the ideal philosophical template for animal rights. Whereas Singer’s argument is emphatically emotion-free—empathy, in his view, is not just immaterial but often actively misleading—Nussbaum is interested in emotions, or at least in animals’ inner lives and desires. She considers several theories of animal rights, including Singer’s, before arguing that we should adopt her “capabilities approach,” which builds on a framework developed by the Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen, and holds that all creatures should be given the “opportunity to flourish.” For decades, Nussbaum has adjusted her list of what this entails for humans, which includes “being able to live to the end of a human life of normal length,” “being able to have attachments to things and people outside ourselves,” and having “bodily integrity”—namely, freedom from violence and “choice in matters of reproduction.” In “Justice for Animals,” she outlines some conditions for nonhuman flourishing: a natural life span, social relationships, freedom of movement, bodily integrity, and play and stimulation. Eventually, she writes, we would have a refined list for each species, so that we could insure flourishing “in the form of life characteristic to the creature.”

In imagining this better world, Nussbaum is guided by three emotions: wonder, anger, and compassion. She wants us to look anew at animals such as chickens or pigs, which don’t flatter us, as gorillas might, with their resemblance to us. What pigs do, and like to do, is root around in the dirt; lacquer themselves in mud to keep cool; build comfy nests in which to shelter their babies; and communicate with one another in social groups. They also seek out belly rubs from human caregivers. In a just world, Nussbaum writes, we would wonder at a pig’s mysterious life, show compassion for her desire to exist on her own terms, and get angry when corporations get in her way.

Some of Nussbaum’s positions are more actionable, policy-wise, than others. For example, she supports legal standing for animals, which raises an obvious question: How would a pig articulate her desires to a lawyer? Nussbaum notes that a solution already exists in fiduciary law: in the event that a person, like a toddler or disabled adult, cannot communicate their decisions or make sound ones, a representative is appointed to understand that person’s interests and advocate for them. Just as organizations exist to help certain people advance their interests, organizations could represent categories of animals. In Nussbaum’s future world, such a group could take Smithfield Foods to court.

Perhaps Nussbaum’s boldest position is that wild animals should also be represented by fiduciaries, and indeed be assured, by humans, the same flourishing as any other creature. If this seems like an overreach, a quixotic attempt to control a world that is better off without our meddling, Nussbaum says, first, to be realistic: there is no such thing as a truly wild animal, given the extent of human influence on Earth. (If a whale is found dead with a brick of plastic in its stomach, how “wild” was it?) Second, in Nussbaum’s view, if nature is thoughtless—and Nussbaum thinks it is—then perhaps what happens in “the wild” is not always for the best. No injustice can be ignored. If we aspire to a world in which no sentient creature can harm another’s “bodily integrity,” or impede one from exploring and fulfilling one’s capabilities, then it is not “the destiny of antelopes to be torn apart by predators.”

Here, Nussbaum’s world is getting harder to imagine. Animal-rights writing tends to elide the issue of wild-animal suffering for obvious reasons—namely, the scarcity of solutions. Singer covers the issue only briefly, and mostly to say that it’s worth researching the merit of different interventions, such as vaccination campaigns. Nussbaum, for her part, is unclear about how we would protect wild antelopes without impeding the flourishing of their predators—or without impeding the flourishing of antelopes, by increasing their numbers and not their resources. In 2006, when she previously discussed the subject, she acknowledged that perhaps “part of what it is to flourish, for a creature, is to settle certain very important matters on its own.” In her new book, she has not entirely discarded that perspective: intervention, she writes, could result in “disaster on a large scale.” But the point is to “press this question all the time,” and to ask whether our hands-off approach is less noble than it is self-justifying—a way of protecting ourselves from following our ideals to their natural, messy, inconvenient ends.

The enduring challenge for any activist is both to dream of almost-unimaginable justice and to make the case to nonbelievers that your dreams are practical. The problem is particularly acute in animal-rights activism. Ending wild-animal suffering is laughably hard (our efforts at ending human suffering don’t exactly recommend us to the task); obviously, so is changing the landscape of factory farms, or Singer wouldn’t be reissuing his book. In 2014, the British sociologist Richard Twine suggested that the vegan isn’t unlike the feminist of yore, in that both come across as killjoys whose “resistance against routinized norms of commodification and violence” repels those who prefer the comforts of the status quo. Wayne Hsiung, the Direct Action Everywhere activist, was only recently released from jail, after being sentenced for duck and chicken rescues in California. On his blog, he wrote that one reason the prosecution succeeded was that, unlike in Utah, he and his colleagues were cast as “weird extremists.”

It’s easy to construct a straw-man vegan, one oblivious to his own stridency, privilege, or hypocrisy. Isn’t he driving deforestation with all his vegetables? (No, Singer replies, as the vast majority of soybeans are fed to farm animals.) Isn’t he ignoring food deserts or the price tag on vegan substitutes, which puts them out of the reach of poor families? (Nussbaum acknowledges that cost can be an issue, but argues that it only emphasizes the need for resourced people to eat as humanely as they can, given that the costs of a more ethical diet “will not come down until it is chosen by many.”) Anyone pointing out moral culpability will provoke, in both others and themselves, a certain defensiveness. Nussbaum spends a lot of time discussing her uneasiness with her choice to eat fish for nutritional reasons. (She argues that fish likely have no sense of the future, a claim that even she seems unsure about.) Singer is eager to intervene here, emphasizing that animal-rights activism should pursue the diminishment of suffering, not the achievement of sainthood. “We are more likely to persuade others to share our attitude if we temper our ideals with common sense than if we strive for the kind of purity that is more appropriate to a religious dietary law than to an ethical and political movement,” he writes. Veganism is a boycott, and, while boycotts are more effective the more you commit to them, what makes them truly effective is persuading others to join them.

Strangely, where Singer and Nussbaum might agree is that defining the proper basis for the rights of animals is less important, at least in the short term, than getting people not to harm them, for any reason at all. Those reasons might have nothing to do with the animals themselves. Perhaps you decide not to eat animals because you care about people: because you care that the water where you live, if it’s anything like where I live, is too full of CAFO by-products to confidently drink. Perhaps you care about the workers in enormous slaughterhouses, where the pay is low and the costs to the laborer high. Perhaps you believe in a God, and believe that this God would expect better of people than to eat animals raised and killed in darkness. Or perhaps someone you love happens to love pigs, or to love the idea that the world could be gentler or more just, and you love the way they see the future enough to help them realize it. Nussbaum, after all, became interested in animal rights because she loved a person, her late daughter, an attorney who championed legislation to protect whales and other wild animals until her death, in 2019. Nussbaum’s book is dedicated to her—and also, now, to the whales. ♦

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9 of the most shocking facts about global extinction - and how to stop it

Across the world, wildlife is under severe threat. Image:  REUTERS/Baz Ratner

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Stay up to date:, future of the environment.

• Wildlife population sizes dropped by 68% between 1970 and 2018.
• Species are becoming extinct quicker nowadays than ever before.
• Biodiversity is vital to the health and livelihoods of the planet's eight billion people.

Earth’s fate and the devastation of the natural world were recently put under the microscope with the release of Sir David Attenborough’s Netflix documentary A Life On Our Planet .

It marks a departure from his usual nature documentary format and instead grieves for the damage wreaked by climate change and other forms of human interference.

Have you read?

David attenborough leads call for world to invest $500 billion a year to protect nature, david attenborough: 'the garden of eden is no more'. read his davos speech in full, sir david attenborough has just joined instagram – and already broken a world record.

It’s an emotional watch, as the naturalist recounts the environmental changes he has seen first-hand throughout his career, such as the devastation of the Borneo rainforest and its native orangutan population.

Here are nine reasons we too should be concerned about the future of the planet and the millions of species which call it home.

1. More than one million species are now at risk of extinction

Over a million species of animal and plant life are now threatened with dying out – more than ever before in human history, according to the International Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

2. Wildlife population sizes dropped by two thirds since 1970

There has been an average 68% drop in global population sizes of amphibians, birds, fish mammals and reptiles between 1970 and 2016, according to the WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020 .

3. Tropical sub-regions of Americas showing biggest declines

The WWF study added that there was a 94% decline of wildlife populations in tropical sub-regions of the Americas over the 50 years from 1970 – the largest fall observed anywhere on Earth.

4. Species dying off more frequently than ever before

Species are dying off 1,000 times more frequently today than during the 60 million years before the arrival of humans, according to a 2014 study by Brown University in the US. The report reinforces the “urgency to conserve what is left”, said lead author Jurriaan de Vos.

5. Freshwater species declining faster than anything else

Populations of freshwater wildlife species are declining disportionately faster than others, dropping by an average of 84% between 1970 and 2018, WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020 showed. The figure also marks a rise of 1% on the 83% reported two years ago.

6. Swathes of tropical forest lost to agriculture

Some 100 million hectares of tropical forest were lost between 1980 and 2000, according to the IPBES. This was largely down to cattle ranching in Latin America and plantations in South-East Asia, researchers added.

7. Nearly 40% of plants at risk of extinction

Four in 10 (39.4%) plants are at risk of dying out, according to the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew’s State of the World’s Plants and Fungi report. An additional challenge is identifying them before extinction, with 1,942 new species of plants identified last year alone.

8. Industrial agriculture driving decline of insects

Dramatic rates of decline could lead to over 40% of the world’s insect species disappearing within decades – with habitat loss due to industrial agriculture the main driver behind the decrease, according to a study published in Science Direct.

9. Bird species also seeing populations threat

Some 3.5% of domesticated birds have become extinct since 2016, the IPBES reported. In addition, nearly a quarter (23%) of threatened birds have already been affected by climate change, The global assessment report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services added.

Our ocean covers 70% of the world’s surface and accounts for 80% of the planet’s biodiversity. We can't have a healthy future without a healthy ocean - but it's more vulnerable than ever because of climate change and pollution.

Tackling the grave threats to our ocean means working with leaders across sectors, from business to government to academia.

The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with the World Resources Institute, convenes the Friends of Ocean Action , a coalition of leaders working together to protect the seas. From a programme with the Indonesian government to cut plastic waste entering the sea to a global plan to track illegal fishing, the Friends are pushing for new solutions.

Climate change is an inextricable part of the threat to our oceans, with rising temperatures and acidification disrupting fragile ecosystems. The Forum runs a number of initiatives to support the shift to a low-carbon economy , including hosting the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, who have cut emissions in their companies by 9%.

Is your organization interested in working with the World Economic Forum? Find out more here .

Why is biodiversity important?

Both the 2019 IPBES and 2020 WWF reports stress that the loss of habitats and species pose as much of a threat to life on Earth as climate change.

For biodiversity is not only vital for a flourishing natural world. Its deterioration also threatens the livelihoods, economies, food security and health of the world's eight billion people – a fact brought into sharp focus by the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

But all is not lost. While Attenborough brands the damage as human kind’s “greatest mistake”, his final message is more optimistic: “If we act now, we can yet put it right.”

What can we do to save the planet?

Experts agree that one of the best ways of saving the planet is through transformation of the global food system, with agriculture accounting for nearly 60% of global biodiversity loss and about a quarter of CO2 emissions worldwide .

Consumers can make a difference by choosing to eat less meat and making more sustainable food choices, as farming animals uses a lot of land and water.

Meanwhile farmers can be supported to reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides, diversify crops and phase out ploughing to lessen the environmental impact.

Conservation is also vital to reverse the loss of biodiversity, with the IPBES highlighting the importance of involving the local community – to benefit nature and people alike.

The devastation of biodiversity and climate change are two sides of the coin, so measures to reduce carbon emissions and pollution – such as travelling less, using greener forms of energy and making more eco-friendly consumer choices – are also key.

For as Attenborough says: “If we take care of nature, nature will take care of us.” As the world continues to suffer the fallout of COVID-19, perhaps never before has such as sentiment been more important.

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World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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Essay on Importance of Animals in Our Life

Students are often asked to write an essay on Importance of Animals in Our Life in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Importance of Animals in Our Life

Role of animals.

Animals play a crucial role in our lives. They are our companions, providing love and joy. Pets like dogs and cats are known to reduce stress.

Food and Work

Animals like cows, goats, and chickens give us food. Horses and donkeys have been used for transportation and farming.

Environmental Balance

Animals help maintain the balance of nature. Bees pollinate flowers, while worms enrich the soil.

Biodiversity

Animals contribute to biodiversity, making our planet vibrant and alive. Protecting animals is vital for a healthy ecosystem.

250 Words Essay on Importance of Animals in Our Life

The integral role of animals.

Animals play a crucial role in the intricate web of life, contributing significantly to the equilibrium of our ecosystems. They are essential for maintaining biodiversity, which is a key element in the sustainability of our planet. Animals, from the tiniest insects to the largest mammals, each have a unique role. They help in pollination, seed dispersal, and nutrient cycling, thereby promoting plant growth and forest regeneration.

Animals and Human Well-being

Beyond their ecological importance, animals have a profound impact on human well-being. They serve as a source of food, clothing, and medicines for humans. Livestock farming is a major economic activity, providing livelihoods for millions of people worldwide. Moreover, animals like dogs, cats, and birds are cherished as pets, offering companionship and emotional support.

Animals in Scientific Research

Animals also play a pivotal role in advancing scientific understanding and medical breakthroughs. They are used in research to study biological processes, develop and test new treatments, and understand diseases. These studies have led to significant advancements in medical, veterinary, and environmental science, enhancing the quality of life for both humans and animals.

Conservation: A Shared Responsibility

Despite their importance, many animal species face the threat of extinction due to human activities. It is our shared responsibility to protect and conserve them. The survival of animals is intrinsically linked to our own survival and prosperity. Hence, understanding and appreciating the importance of animals in our life is critical for a sustainable future.

500 Words Essay on Importance of Animals in Our Life

The vital role of animals in human life.

Animals play an indispensable role in human life. They contribute significantly to our existence, not only by providing us with food and other resources, but also by maintaining ecological balance, and promoting mental and physical well-being.

Animals as a Source of Food and Resources

Animals serve as a primary source of food for many people around the world. They provide us with meat, milk, eggs, and other products, which are essential components of our diet. These animal-based foods are rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals that are vital for human health.

Moreover, animals also provide us with other resources like wool, silk, leather, and honey, which are used in various industries.

Ecological Balance

Animals play a critical role in maintaining the ecological balance of our planet. They are integral to the food chain and contribute to biodiversity, which is essential for a healthy ecosystem. For instance, predators help control the population of herbivores, preventing overgrazing and degradation of vegetation. Similarly, pollinators like bees and butterflies aid in plant reproduction, contributing to plant diversity and food production.

Medical and Scientific Research

Animals also play a significant role in medical and scientific research. Many breakthroughs in medical science, including the development of vaccines and treatments for various diseases, have been possible due to animal testing. Studies on animal behavior and genetics also provide valuable insights into human psychology and genetics.

Emotional Support and Companionship

Domesticated animals, particularly pets, offer emotional support and companionship to humans. They help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, thereby improving mental health. Studies have shown that interaction with pets can lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and promote overall well-being.

Role in Agriculture

In agriculture, animals like horses, oxen, and donkeys have been used for centuries for ploughing fields and transportation. Even today, in many developing countries, animals are essential for farming and transportation.

In conclusion, animals are an integral part of human life. They contribute to our survival, health, and happiness in numerous ways. However, with the increasing threat to biodiversity due to human activities, it is crucial to promote animal conservation and welfare. By doing so, we can ensure the survival of these invaluable creatures and continue to benefit from their existence.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Adaptation — Animal and Plant Adaptations

Animal and Plant Adaptations

• Categories: Adaptation Animals

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People dressed as Momotxorros – half bull, half man figures wrapped in blood-soaked sheepskins – take part in celebrations in Alsasua, northern Spain, 21 February 2023. Photo by Vincent West/Reuters

An animal myself

When we imagine ourselves as another creature, we become more attuned to the world around us – and better at being human.

by Erica Berry   + BIO

The last time I felt other than human, I was chasing a friend’s child through the yard. ‘Bear,’ she said, pointing at me gleefully. Then she ran. By her expression, it was clear I should follow. The girl squealed as I lifted my hands and said, ‘Rawr.’ But I felt guilty. I did not want her to believe that all bears were trying to eat her. How could she know my performance was less about being a ‘bear’ than an anthropomorphised Disney trope? I was enacting a creature our own species had created. A few minutes of lumbering, though, and I didn’t care. I did not know what it felt like to be a bear – sniffing a carcass from 20 miles away, tracking the movements of unseen and unheard others – but I knew how it felt to crave a break. It was a thrill to slough off, for a few minutes, the expectations of my human form.

Later, as I recounted my surprised giddiness at ‘playing animal’, a friend quipped that I’d stumbled into my own kind of ‘feral girl summer’. He was a straight, cis millennial man, active on American dating apps, and he was seeing the trend everywhere. Lots of women were pronouncing themselves ‘feral’, a usage that had come to connote embracing chaos and ‘free[ing] one’s self from the conventions of what is required to be hot,’ as a 2021 Vice article headlined ‘The Freedom of “Feral Girl Summer”’ explained. Now, in 2023, the trend was almost passé. In August, The Washington Post published an explainer of the new animal oeuvre: ‘Rat Girl Summer’ was the embodiment of ‘a TikTok movement that emphasises living like a rat: scurrying around the streets at all hours of the day and night, snacking to your heart’s delight, and going to places you have no business going to.’

You might think that conjuring a trash-eating rodent would repel potential lovers, but a swipe of my friend’s Tinder suggests you’d be wrong. Young femmes are sick of decades of being typecast as bunnies and kittens. We’re scrappy, we eat what we want, we sit in nobody’s palm. You could argue that #ratgirlsummer (a hashtag now shared more than 30 million times on TikTok) has little to do with our relationship with real-life rats, just as a child’s impulse to play ‘bear’ has little to do with her relationship with real bears. But I think it’s worth considering what we are getting when we garb ourselves in the skin of the ‘rat’ or the ‘bear’, whether linguistically, virtually, or in costume. Not because these performances are accurate animal representations, but because the ways in which we make ourselves nonhuman have always reflected back our own yearnings and repulsions. We are as much running towards one cultural narrative – what the animal we are embodying ‘means’ – as we are running away from another: our sense of what the human ‘I’ means.

I t is a uniquely precarious moment to be an animal of any kind. All around us, other species are disappearing some 10,000 times faster than base extinction levels, causing the ecologist Stephan Harding to write in the book Gaia in Turmoil (2009) that we are ‘hemorrhaging species’. And yet the blood loss is often invisible. We do not mourn the beings we never learned to see. This is Earth’s sixth mass extinction event, but it is the first precipitated by one species: ourselves. Amid habitat loss and the conversion of wild spaces into agricultural and suburban ones, real-life animals are increasingly being usurped by anthropomorphised doppelgängers. We encounter them daily in pop culture, advertisements, and online. According to a 2018 paper in PLOS Biology, the average French citizen, for example, sees more than four ‘virtual’ lions every day, which means that in a year, she witnesses more lions than exist in the whole of West Africa. Dressing as a lion for a costume party conjures less the real creature than this object of cultural taxidermy.

in examining our own experiences of ‘being animal’ we can learn to live and connect better in our human bodies

The evolutionary biologist E O Wilson coined the term ‘Eremocene’ to describe a contemporary era defined by both literal and existential isolation. He was referring to extinctions, but the phrase captures a particular paradox of modern life. On the one hand, we live in an anthropocentric society where human life is privileged to devastating ecological effect. On the other, as we play out increasingly online existences – lubricated by instant deliveries or the way we work and stream at home, alone – misanthropic solitude has also become increasingly normalised (just look at the memes). Not only are we failing to consider other species, we are flailing in our connection with one another. Recently, I asked a room of university students why an author might try to step inside an animal’s head. ‘Because animals are more likeable than humans,’ said one student. The whole room nodded. Popular discourse tends to silo these two issues, imagining that the breakdown in intra-species connection has nothing to do with the inter-species one, and vice versa. Looking at the moments where we visualise ourselves as nonhuman, though, suggests that in examining our own experiences of ‘being animal’ we can learn to live and connect better in our human bodies, too.

N ot long after ‘playing bear’, I felt myself as nonhuman in a more mundane, terrible way. I was standing before a motion-sensor soap dispenser at an airport, and nothing was coming out. A minute earlier, I had watched someone seamlessly wash her hands. Now, as I moved from one dispenser to another, I felt a prickly horror. My body was failing me. As my wet fingers waved fruitlessly around, I wondered what the dispensers knew that I did not. Didn’t I exist? Weren’t my limbs enough? Even after I’d coaxed out soap, my sense of dizzy dislocation lingered. The dispenser had not made me feel like a human; it had made me feel like a rat in a lab, trying to press a button for a treat. It was the same thing I felt being herded into lines: What am I, a cow? My dignity in these moments depends on the preservation of an animal-human hierarchy, one where my species commands more respect. The rapid technologising of modern life has separated all of us from our bodies, but rather than view ourselves in union with our nonhuman neighbours, we tend to get defensive. Hungry for our own dignity, we dig deeper into the myth of our exceptionalism.

The moat between ‘human’ and ‘animal’ has rarely been so large. I put the words in quotes because, of course, the binary is false. To say ‘“Animal” … is one of the ways we say “Other”,’ writes philosopher David Wood. He calls the word ‘a form of deadening shorthand’. In reality, the genetic difference between two humans averages around 0.1 per cent , while the difference between a chimpanzee and a human is around 1.2 per cent . This seems like a decent gap until you consider that the 1.6 per cent difference between a gorilla and a human is equivalent to the difference between a gorilla and a chimpanzee, according to the Smithsonian Institution. We have as much genetic material in common with gorillas as chimpanzees do.

From Aristotle on, philosophy has defined humans as animals who will not only reproduce and socialise, but also mould their environment. Very often, we are unaware of how our bodies shape our surroundings. We imagine ourselves apart from nature, as if the sunscreen from swimmers’ limbs was not bleaching coral, or as if the ashes we scatter on mountaintops was not altering soil chemistry. Still, we’re not the only ones shaping our environment. Even extinct animals live with us in traces. Northern trees like the oak might have evolved to grow back because elephants once trampled them. In The Second Body (2017), writer Daisy Hildyard makes a case for our having two bodies: one contained in our skin, and one that spills beyond it, interacting with global and environmental systems. The whale’s lungs are infused with our cigarettes and dust, she writes, and when that whale dies, her dissolving corpse disperses back into the ocean, where it will be eaten by a shrimp, and then by you. In this light, the separation between ‘animal’ and self is, at the most literal, embodied level, false.

To imagine ourselves in another animal’s skin, even in a glib #ratgirl way, is an utterly human instinct

The question of what cognitively separates human and animal is, believed Jacques Derrida, perhaps the basis of human thought. In The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871), Charles Darwin ventured that only humans are self-conscious, if by that we mean able to reflect on ‘what is life and death, and so forth’. Researchers now know that many animals do, however, have a sense of self. An animal can know that this is my tail, or that is my territory. And yet, while animals such as primates and dogs will exhibit signs of envy and jealousy, humans think not only I want your meal , but also I want to be in your body , I wish I was you . The mimic octopus can change its colouration to imitate the more dangerous sea snake or lionfish, but it does this out of self-preservation, not self-expression. Perhaps we humans are defined less by our awareness of who we are than by our capacity to understand and yearn to become bodies we are not. Who has not looked at a soaring bird and wished to live inside her bones?

Bat in Moon ( c 1905) by Takahashi Biho. Courtesy the Brooklyn Museum

Our inability to know what it would feel like inside that other animal propels the fantasy of transmutation. ‘I want to know what it is like for a bat to be a bat … [but] I am restricted to the resources of my own mind, and those resources are inadequate to the task,’ wrote the philosopher Thomas Nagel in his 1974 essay ‘What Is It Like to Be a Bat?’ We each live in a sensory bubble called an Umwelt , a term deriving from German, and generally understood to mean ‘self-centred world’. The Umwelt takes in not just our surroundings but the way we perceive them. I feel a giddy sensory overwhelm walking toward a blooming lilac tree, while the robin sees also the magnetic field around it, and listens to the earthworms writhe beneath its trunk. Neither of our sensory worlds is better than the other; they are just very different. Everywhere we go, parts of our world are invisible, not because we choose to ignore them, but because we cannot fathom them. Our humanness is what allows us to both understand, and yearn to cross, this cognitive gap. ‘The act of contemplating the Umwelt of another creature is so deeply human and so utterly profound,’ writes the science journalist Ed Yong in An Immense World (2022). To imagine ourselves in another animal’s skin, even in a glib #ratgirl way, is an utterly human instinct.

Slippages between human and nonhuman forms have, across history and cultures, been far more fluid. ‘[I]ndigenous peoples have never forgotten that nonhumans are agential beings engaged in social relations that profoundly shape human lives,’ writes the Native studies scholar Kim TallBear. The very idea of a binary between human and nonhuman stymies a logic whereby ‘objects’ and ‘forces’ such as stones and thunder contain sentience too. During the Upper Palaeolithic period, now considered to have been the seedbed of human consciousness, cave drawings depicted men with hooves, and beasts with hands and spears. Indigenous creation stories tell of humans descending from animals, marrying them, and morphing between forms. Zeus was said to transform into a swan, a bull, a snake; Ganesh, one of the most worshipped Hindu deities, has an elephant head and four human arms. It was not just gods and shamans who took on animal traits, it was humans themselves, often to summon strength in wars and hunts. The Old Norse Berserkers are thought to have fought beneath bear hides; Lakota hunters donned wolf skins. Humans might be unique because of our capacity for symbolic thought, but, writes John Berger in the essay ‘Why Look at Animals?’ (1980), ‘the first symbols were animals’. We have long imagined ourselves through the bodies of other creatures.

Today, there is perhaps no animal we are more unmoored from than ourselves. ‘The world is now dominated by an animal that doesn’t think it’s an animal,’ writes the natural philosopher Melanie Challenger in How to Be Animal (2021) . ‘ And the future is being imagined by an animal that doesn’t want to be an animal.’ It is shame that drives us to evade our animality, contends philosopher Martha Nussbaum in the book Hiding from Humanity (2004), so uncomfortable are we with our own ‘propensity to decay and to become waste products ourselves’. The more we confront the degradation of our oceans and lands, however, the more we must face that it’s not just animal habitat under threat – it’s our habitat, too. Faced with this mounting unliveability, we look to the nonhuman for ideas of survival. To be a rat in a rotting city is to make out OK. In the book Beyond the Doctrine of Man: Decolonial Visions of The Human (2019), Joseph Drexler-Dreis and Kristien Justaert argue that we must reject the very game of defining the human. Labelling individuals as ‘animals’ – refuting their humanity – has long been a project of the racist, colonial, sexist imagination. Only by rejecting these legacies of white-settler anthropocentrism can we imagine better, less hierarchical ways of existing among, between, and within species.

Because our human contours are less policed when we are children, enacting an animal as an adult, as I did with the bear, can feel like vacationing in the body of one’s younger self. Kids scurry, snack, yip, don tails, and eat with their hands. Reflecting on her childhood in the essay collection The Abundance (2016), Annie Dillard writes of feeling ‘transparent to myself, unself-conscious’. Growing older meant growing into the sociocultural expectations of a gendered human body, experiencing a jam of awareness around how to steer it. Though Dillard describes this new, adolescent mindset in animal terms (‘I was a dog barking between my own ears’), her implication is that growing into human consciousness entails unmooring from nonhuman life and watching one’s outer world fade away. Is it any wonder we want to escape the bark? To fly from our own heads?

O ne night, when I was in my early twenties, I left a bar alone around dusk. Walking to my bike, I became aware of quick footsteps behind me and turned in time to see a stranger throw his arms around me. The man, clearly under the influence, told me I was someone that he loved. His breath was at my neck. The man would not let go of my body, but I was shocked, looking at my hands, to see they would not move, nor would my voice speak. I wrote about this moment in my book Wolfish: The Stories We Tell About Fear, Ferocity and Freedom (2023), as a time where I had felt, uncomfortably, like animal prey. Though another stranger intervened, and I escaped without physical harm, I struggled to describe that night. It wasn’t until a male reviewer referred to the assault as a ‘bearhug’ – a word I’d previously associated with hugs from people I love, not a stranger’s arms landing on me, unbidden, in the dark – that I realised how the language of ‘bear’ obscured not only the threat but its human reality. A man had grabbed me, not an ursid. It seemed important not to dodge my own species’ accountability.

After that night, and the splinter-like accumulation of other terror-inducing moments like it, I moved through the world differently. I became hypervigilant whenever I walked outside after dark, checking closets when I got home at night. I sensed I was being irrational, but I could not shake it off. It wasn’t until I spoke with the biologist Liana Zanette about her research into animal fear that I began to understand what I was going through: however committed I was to disentangling my story from fairytale lore (the man on the sidewalk was no more a bear than the Big Bad Wolf), we were still both animals. I wanted to be able to think myself out of my anxiety, but after a deeply fearful experience, Zanette reminded me, all animal bodies will change. Even a plant will alter its cellular biology after something stressful happens. We remember trauma because we learn from it to stay alive. Our conversation helped me see that my jumpiness was not neuroticism. I was just another animal, learning from the things that scared me, trying to survive.

Given the biological gap between wolf and me, what could I learn by dressing in her coat?

Though my experience suggests that we might dilute our anxiety by grounding ourselves in our animal bodies, others try to shortcut such anxiety by stepping into another’s form. Tokyo engineer Toru Ueda recently spent $23,000 for a life-size replica wolf suit, which he said helped him forget his human ego, and made his childhood dream come true. ‘All kinds of troubles, related to work and other things – I can forget about them,’ he told a journalist. My immediate feeling was curiosity. I wanted to walk inside the wolf. At the same time, wearing the costume, however fine its attention to detail, would make me only a human in a wolf suit. I would not be able to bite through a bone, trot 30 miles a day, or deduce, via markings, the sex, age, and last meal of other wolves that passed beside me. Given the biological gap between wolf and me, what could I learn by dressing in her coat?

Courtesy Zeppet Studios

Daniel Pimentel, a professor of immersive media psychology at the University of Oregon, studies what putting humans in virtual animal bodies will do to their brains. In a gamified research study he calls ‘Project Shell’, participants take on the body of a loggerhead sea turtle, trading their arms for flippers as they dodge passing ships and fishing flotsam on their journey from hatchling to adult. Pimentel found that participants left the game with new environmental attitudes, increased compassion, and a willingness to donate to marine conservation efforts. ‘Your brain stores [virtual reality] experiences in autobiographical memory,’ he told me. ‘It’s happening to you, versus something you’re seeing.’ Players adopted what he calls a ‘body transfer’ response, perceiving themselves as turtles. The younger we are, the more fluid our sense of human identity, and the greater our ease at embodying another being. Knowing this, Pimentel felt a unique responsibility as a game designer. Children had more emotionally reactive responses to the virtual reality (VR) . They would remember the sea turtles’ trauma as their own.

I n 2022-23 , the Portland Art Museum hosted the US debut of ‘Symbiosis’, a Dutch VR project, inspired by ecofeminist Donna Haraway’s book Staying with the Trouble (2016). When I heard about the exhibition, described as a ‘performative, multiuser, and multisensory installation in which the human body will be redesigned to merge with technology and nature itself’, I signed up immediately. I’d been intrigued by a section in the blurb about inhabiting a butterfly, but when it came time to select the life form that I would embody, another participant was quicker to claim it. And so I, a deferential animal, found myself in the last remaining slot: slime mould.

Immobilised in a straitjacket-like sleeping bag, with a headset puffing oxytocin at me, I tried to relax into my 25-minute experience. My field of vision became hallucinatory. Occasional animal-esque shadows passed before me, but mostly my world consisted of firework-like sprays of colour. Balloons expanded and contracted around my body, as if I were bubbling. Twice, I was nudged to open my mouth, and in went a Michelin chef-orchestrated nibble devised through molecular gastronomy to mimic the proteins a slime mould would taste: algal and jellied, then wafery and sweet. Will you believe me if I say that, as a slime mould, the chatter of my mind began to fade? That, for a few seconds at a time, I forgot who and where I was? Forgot that, a week earlier, a childhood friend had died too young? That dragging my human body around had, in the sorrowful days since, felt both impossible and rude? And then it was time for the attendant to help me wiggle out of my suit. I stood in the dim gallery, slightly clammy, blinking. I kept catching myself looking at my limbs and wiggling my fingers, as if I were on a low dose of psychotropic mushrooms.

A 2022 study in Scientific Reports found that relational group VR can have a cognitive effect comparable to that of a medium dose of LSD or psilocybin, sparking what scientists call ‘self-transcendent experiences’, where the boundary between self and world splinters. Now I had to re-enter not only my environment but my body, which felt almost as surreal as those first seconds as a slime mould.

To perform the nonhuman is also to consider the ways we perform the human

Religious studies scholar Karl Luckert writes about Navajo hunters entering sweat lodges to embody animal predators and psychologically transform into them before hunts; they then echo this ritual after the hunt, to transform back into their human selves. It is a reminder that ‘leaving’ the human body means not only a departure, but a homecoming. In Being a Beast: Adventures Across the Species Divide (2016), Charles Foster recounts a year spent living with, and as, animals such as the fox and badger. As the latter, he sleeps in a burrow shaped by his hands, crushes earthworms with his teeth (‘they … have a very distinct terroir ’) and learns the art of gazing at nothing, becoming ‘a lump of idling software in a box made of meat’. Humans have more sensory prowess than we often let ourselves believe, Foster finds, and the cause of biodiversity conservation would be helped if more of us learned to see the world as it appears for those outside our own bodies. And yet his revelations are not just about the nonhuman world. Attuning himself to other perspectives teaches him about ‘the exhilarating inaccessibility of all creatures, including, perhaps particularly, humans’.

Part of the strangeness of trying to connect with a species beyond ourselves is that the act of grasping can feel oddly familiar. Every day, in the office and around the dinner table, we confront the emotional distance between other bodies and ourselves. To perform the nonhuman is also to consider the ways we perform the human and police others’ performances of it, too. Imagining what a parrot thinks when he imitates words, writes environmental and gender scholar Kari Weil, is also to imagine what a human means when she opens her mouth. ‘[A]re we not all dependent upon a field of signification that precedes us, making it difficult to say that language itself is ever not imitative?’ she writes. ‘How do we know what our lovers mean when they say “I love you”?’

Outside the exhibit, it was a late afternoon in February, the sunlight muted and metallic. Fumbling for my gloves, I realised I was a few feet from one of my fellow ‘Symbiosis’ participants. The woman was about my grandmother’s age, shaking her head with awe. She had just emerged from being the front half of a deep-sea fish. It was clear we were both struggling to put words to what we had experienced, but it was also clear that neither of us wanted to leave. We made fumbling small talk for a block, and then, trading smiles, said goodbye. She didn’t know the grief bubbling inside me, and I didn’t know the feelings hiding inside her, but we understood something about each other that nobody else on the sidewalk did. When, stepping into her car, she raised a few fingers to wave, I knew what she meant. The language of a hand could be enough.

This was the moment I kept thinking about from that day. Not that I had become a slime mould, but that, in occupying the imagined gaze of another being, I had become re-attuned to the limits and the thrills of my own sensory world. When a breeze arrived with a whiff of trash, I held my breath, then, looking at the crow above me, wondered what she smelled. My Umwelt wobbled . There was so much I did not know about how to best occupy a body on our warming Earth. A squirrel vaulted off a power line, her tail fluffing into a perfect parachute. I marvelled at her; I wanted to be her, but then she was gone and I was left with the warm animal of myself.

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