The animal kingdom is one of the divisions that are usually made of living beings.
The notion of kingdom comes from the Latin word regnum . The first meaning mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to the State organized politically as a monarchy.
Beyond these meanings, the idea of kingdom has other uses. It can refer to the subdivision carried out by the biology of living beings or, in a broader sense, to the field itself or characteristic of an activity.
Animal , meanwhile, can also be used in different ways. Typically, the concept names organic beings that can move on their own and have the ability to feel.
What is the animal kingdom
The animal kingdom , thus, is a taxonomic classification of living organisms . In the order of taxonomy , the kingdom is located below the domain and above the phylum . Its proper name, at formal levels, is written in Latin: Animalia .
All animals, then, make up this kingdom. It is important to indicate that the human being is also part of the animal kingdom.
Although the members of the animal kingdom are very diverse, several common characteristics can be recognized. Broadly speaking, it can be indicated that they are multicellular, eukaryotic, heterotrophic beings that require oxygen for their metabolism and that reproduce sexually.
Main subdivisions
In the animal kingdom there are many subdivisions , which group species according to their characteristics. One of the most common consists of the separation between vertebrate animals and invertebrate animals , which are differentiated by the presence or absence of a skeleton with a skull and spine and a central nervous system ( CNS ) made up of the brain and spinal cord.
Mammals , fish , and reptiles , for example, are vertebrates. On the other hand, mollusks , arthropods , nematodes and porifera are invertebrates. Beyond this differentiation, they all make up the animal kingdom.
Species, on the other hand, can be classified according to their type of reproduction , their digestion, their respiration and many other factors. The biological variety is enormous: thus, we find creatures as dissimilar as elephants , ants , snakes , mice , crabs , eagles , dogs , mosquitoes and whales that share the fact of belonging to the animal kingdom.
Buddhism also uses the concept of the animal kingdom.
Animal kingdom in Buddhism
The notion of the animal kingdom also appears in Buddhism . In this case, we must first focus on the concept of samsara , which names the cycle of life and reincarnation or rebirth.
For Buddhists, there are six realms of samsara. These are forms of existence that form the aforementioned cycle and in which living beings are reborn until they reach nirvana and are liberated.
Members of the animal kingdom obey their instincts. Therefore, they do not follow dharma and cannot achieve nirvana .
The animal kingdom and the human kingdom share earthly existence. A peculiarity is that human beings who act by instinct end up being reborn in this sphere , without liberating themselves.
It is important to note that births that occur in the animal kingdom are designated by Buddhism as unfortunate. This is due to the aforementioned impossibility of achieving liberation through nirvana ( enlightenment ).