This document provides an overview of the characteristics of the kingdom Animalia. It discusses key traits such as being multicellular, eukaryotic, and heterotrophs. It also describes developmental characteristics like forming a gastrula with three germ layers, and whether animals are protostomes or deuterostomes. Body plans including symmetry, coelom presence, and types of skeletons are outlined. Finally, it examines the major invertebrate phyla like porifera, cnidaria, mollusca, and arthropoda as well as the vertebrate subphylum.