Back to: ZOOLOGY 100 Level
My correct person, welcome again! How body today? I hope say you dey ginger for this next lesson. Just as every Nigerian market has its own sound and vibe, animals too get their own unique features wey make them different from plants or other organisms. Today, we go yarn about what truly makes an animal an animal—very interesting sturvs. Make you relax and follow me dey go like gist partners.
Characteristics of animals
Picture this: you’re sitting outside on a hot Saturday afternoon. You notice your neighbour’s goat chewing leaves nonstop, a hawk flying overhead, and small ants carrying sugar from the floor. All these na animals—but why? What exactly makes them animals and not plants or fungi?
This question might sound small, but it’s very important for zoologists like you in training. Understanding the characteristics of animals is like knowing the identity of your best friend—you’ll be able to recognise animals no matter their shape, size, or location.
Animals are a diverse group of organisms, but they all share certain basic features. These characteristics set them apart from other forms of life like plants and fungi.
Let’s break them down:
- Multicellular Organisms
Animals are made up of many cells. Unlike bacteria which are just one cell, animals have many different types of cells working together to form tissues and organs. For example, the goat has muscle cells, skin cells, and nerve cells all doing their jobs. - Eukaryotic Cells
Their cells have a true nucleus and specialised structures called organelles. This means animals have more complex body systems than simple organisms. - Heterotrophic Nutrition
This simply means animals cannot make their own food like plants. They must eat other organisms to survive—whether it’s plants, other animals, or both. That’s why your chicken must be fed, but your orange tree can survive with just sunlight and water. - Lack of Cell Walls
Animal cells do not have rigid cell walls like plants. This allows animals to be more flexible and mobile. That’s why you can’t bend a tree trunk easily, but a cat can jump and twist as it likes. - Movement (at some stage of life)
Most animals can move at some point in their lives. Some, like snakes and cows, move around clearly. Others like corals may look fixed as adults, but they moved as larvae. - Specialised Sensory Organs
Animals usually have organs like eyes, ears, nose, or even antennae that help them sense what’s happening around them. This helps them avoid danger and find food. - Reproduction (Mostly Sexual)
Animals mostly reproduce sexually—meaning they combine male and female cells (sperm and egg). Some can also reproduce asexually, but sexual reproduction is more common. - Growth and Development
Animals grow from simple forms (like babies or eggs) into mature adults. A chick becomes a chicken, a calf becomes a cow.
Let’s take the common house cat. It eats food (heterotroph), moves about your compound freely (mobility), has whiskers and sharp senses (sensory organs), and it can grow from a kitten into an adult (growth and development). It has no cell wall, is made of many cells, and reproduces by giving birth or laying young ones (reproduction). This simple animal shows nearly every animal characteristic in action.
Even the cockroach that runs under your bed when you switch on the light is also an animal—it moves, feeds, senses danger, and lays eggs.
Summary
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms that do not make their own food, have no cell walls, can move, and reproduce. They grow, have specialised sensory organs, and respond to their environment. These characteristics are what help us recognise any organism as an animal.
Evaluation
- List and explain five characteristics of animals.
- Why can’t animals make their own food like plants?
- Give one example of an animal in your area and describe how it shows at least three animal characteristics.
You’ve done wonderfully well today, and I’m proud of how you’re thinking like a true African zoologist. Keep observing animals around you—there’s so much to learn from them. With Afrilearn beside you and determination inside you, nothing fit stop your shine. See you in the next lesson—go on dey burst brain!